Fighting the Feeling
by Chrissy G
Summary: My first xmen fic. Takes place after the 3rd movie. Rogue and Logan pairing. Rated for language and romance. Part 23 is finally up!
1. Prologue

**My first X-man fanfic. Rated for later langauge and romance. I don't own the characters.**

Fighting the Feeling

An X-men movie fanfic

By Chrissy G.

Prologue

Everything had changed. It was doubtful if it would ever be the same again. Jean, Scott and the professor were gone. A mutant cure had been found and it had changed the lives of many mutants, be it for the better or the worse. Some even got the cure against their will.

Rogue had been one of the mutants who had been given the cure. It was supposed to have made her life better, being able to experience contact between herself and another person. A certain person. Her boyfriend Bobby. The first day that Rogue came back after being cured, she held his hand (_really _held his hand) and for the first time, she had felt him. She didn't let it stop at just holding his hand either. If she was going to touch him, she was going to go all out with it. Her first time touching Bobby became her first time having sex with Bobby.

After that first time, she wanted to touch everybody. There was a certain thrill to having her skin against someone else's. She could give hugs, hi-fives, handshakes, and even bump into people without the fear of absorbing their powers and possibly killing them. After a few weeks though, the thrill had worn off. It was no longer as exciting when she touched someone. Even being around Bobby was losing its effect on her. She had touched just about everyone in the mansion. Everyone, except for Logan.

X 

After the Alcatraz incident, Logan had kept to himself, bottling up his emotions inside of him. Whenever asked to talk about it, he refused. A few times, he had made threats, withdrawing his dagger claws in order to scare a person so bad that the subject would get dropped. It got to the point where he couldn't stand being in the mansion any longer. Late one night, he took one of the cars from the garage and just drove off. He never had a destination in mind, but when he arrived in Florida three days later, he turned around and came back to the mansion.

From then on, he set himself to the routine of leaving the mansion around lunchtime and returning around nine-thirty with a large case of beer. For the rest of the night he would sit in the common room, drinking as many as beers as it took to get himself nice and drunk. Then he would either fall asleep in the common room or stagger down the hall to his bedroom. Everyone had stopped paying attention to Logan, in the hopes that he would eventually snap out of it. Everyone, except for Rogue. Whenever she saw him, she gave him a small smile before Bobby called her away. Deep down, it made Logan glad to know that Rogue still cared, even if she was busy with her boyfriend.


	2. Part 1

**Still don't own the characters.**

Rogue lay sprawled out on her bed, looking up at the ceiling. Sleep was not coming easily for her tonight. Many thoughts rushed around in her head.

_Can't Bobby and I just be normal?_

_What's going to happen to the school?_

_What really happened at Alcatraz?_

_Is Logan ever going be OK?_

She had pondered these thoughts and others over and over. That last thought was the one that she thought about most often. Everyone knew that Logan loved Dr. Grey and he hadn't been himself since her death. Rogue had always seen Logan as the strong one, so it troubled her to see him like this. He wouldn't talk to anyone and night after night, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol.

With all that was on her mind, Rogue needed someone to talk to. She got up from her bed and poked her head out into the hallway. Seeing no one, she made her way quietly down the hall to Bobby's room. When she reached his room, she stopped. The door was slightly open and there were noises coming from inside. As she listened closely, she could hear moaning. Her heart started to race and she swallowed hard. She pushed the door open. She was shocked at what she saw. Bobby had another girl on top of him, fucking him.

When the door creaked, Bobby turned his head to see Rogue standing in his doorway. "Shit," he said.

Bobby pushed the girl off of him. With a better look, Rogue saw that it was Kitty. Bobby wrapped a bed sheet around his waist and walked quickly to where Rogue stood, dazed.

"Rogue," Bobby said. "Please, let me explain."

He tried to take Rogue's hand. She pulled it away and took a step back from him.

"Don't touch me," Rogue said.

"Rogue, please."

"I don't believe it. How could you do this to me?"

"This is the first time it's happened. I swear it. You've got to believe me. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's too late for that." A tear slid down her cheek. "I can't forgive you for this. It's over."

Rogue turned to leave, but Bobby grabbed her hand. Rogue whipped around and kicked him really hard. When he fell to the floor, doubled over in pain, yelling obscenities and holding himself, Rogue knew she had hit her target dead on. She fled the scene and made her way to the elevator. As she waited for it's slow descent downstairs, she slid to the floor and started to cry. The doors opened on the first floor and Rogue ran to the common room. She threw herself onto the couch and cried her eyes out.


	3. Part 2

**Still don't own it.**

Logan pulled the car into the garage. He took the case of beer from the front seat and got out of the car. He walked into the mansion and stopped in his tracks. Something wasn't right. He sniffed the air. His super senses picked up on a student that was out of bed. He could smell the vanilla body spray, the berry shampoo and the lifesavers. A combination he would have recognized anywhere. He also smelled the salty tears. The tough expression on his face melted into one of concern and curiosity.

Logan walked into the common room, not surprised to see Rogue lying on her tummy on the couch. Her short nightgown had ridden up a little on her, exposing a little bit of her black panties underneath. It did happen to catch Logan's attention, but then shook that from his mind.

"You should be in bed," Logan said to her.

Rogue turned and looked up at him. She sat up quickly, wiping tears from her eyes. "I know."

Logan sat down in a lounge chair near her. He set the beer on the floor. "So why aren't you?"

"Can't sleep." Rogue eyed the case of beer. "Can I have one of those?"

"One of what?" Logan asked. He followed Rogue's gaze and then looked back up at her. "You want a beer?" Rogue nodded. "You sure about that?"

"Shut the hell up, Logan, and just give me a beer."

Logan blinked. In all the time that he had known her, Rogue had never talked to him like that. He pondered for a moment on how to handle it. He just simply opened the case of beer and handed a can to Rogue before taking one for himself.

"Are you OK?" he asked her, popping the can open.

"Does it _look_ like I'm OK?" Rogue asked, opening her can as well.

"No, it doesn't."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine then. Drink it away. It'll make things better. For a little while anyways."

"You wouldn't be trying to get me drunk, are you?"

"Well, I'm not gonna stop you."

"Fine then. Cheers." She raised her can and then took a big gulp. Immediately her face scrunched as she swallowed it down.

Logan couldn't help but chuckle. The first he had done in a while. "You don't like it?"

"No," Rogue said. "How can you drink that stuff?"

Logan shrugged. "It's an acquired taste." He took a big gulp of his own beer. "You'd probably like a mixed drink, like a piña colada or a daiquiri."

"I've had a virgin daiquiri before. It was good."

Logan nodded. "So, you wanna tell me why you were crying?"

"You wanna tell _me_ why you get drunk every night?"

"Alright. Point taken."


	4. Part 3

**2 1/2 hours later. Alcohol count- Logan: 8 Rogue: 5**

"Hey, Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"Guess what?"

"What?"

Rogue belched loudly. Logan laughed at her.

"Nice one," Logan said.

"Thank you," Rogue said. "Hand me another one."

"I think you've had enough."

"Logan…"

"You're not used to it. You're gonna make yourself sick."

"Fine then. I'm going to bed."

Rogue stood up and stumbled. Logan immediately jumped up from his seat and was at her side.

"You OK?" he asked her.

"I think so."

Logan chuckled. "You are drunk."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. I don't know what I was thinking letting you drink like that."

"I'll be fine. Really."

"I don't think so. Storm hears you stumbling down the hallway like that we'll both be in trouble. Let me help you."

Logan wrapped his arms around her for support. They both stopped and looked at one another as they had realized this was the first time that they had touched since Rogue had gotten the cure. Logan pulled himself from her gaze and helped her up the stairs to her bedroom. Rogue pulled back the covers and climbed into bed. Logan tucked her in.

"Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you stay with me?"

Logan about it thought for a moment. "Yeah, OK. Scoot over."

Rogue smiled. She moved over to make a space for Logan. He sat down on her bed and took his shoes off. Then he lay down next to her.

"Thanks," Rogue said.

"No problem," Logan said.

The two were quiet for a while, but Logan could tell that Rogue was still awake from her breathing.

"We don't talk anymore," Rogue said.

"I know," Logan said.

"Why not?"

Logan sighed. "I don't know." He turned over to look at her. "You wanna talk now?"

"What's there to talk about?"

"Tell me why you were crying." Rogue was silent. "I've only ever seen you cry once. I wanna know what happened."

"I, uh…I caught Bobby cheating on me."

Logan's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" Rogue nodded. "That little bastard."

"I told him we were done."

"Well, good for you."

"Yeah, and I gave him a good kick in the balls, too."

"Ouch."

"He deserved it."

"Well, don't worry about him. He's not worth it."

"I just don't understand. I've done so much for him and he just…" Rogue was on the verge of tears.

"Hey, don't cry. C'mon, let me see you smile." Rogue gave a small smile. "I need a bigger smile than that."

"That's all you're gonna get."

"Wanna bet?"

Logan started to tickle Rogue. She rolled on her side laughing hysterically. Logan crawled on top of her, preventing her from escaping.

"Stop!" Rogue managed to say through her laughing fits. "Stop! You'll make me wet myself!"

Logan stopped tickling her. "Told you I could make you smile."

"Alright, you win."

"Thank you."

Rogue brushed her hair out of her face. She looked up at Logan and their eyes met. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments. Logan leaned in closer and stopped. He was unsure why he was having this strange, new feeling and he didn't know whether or not to act upon it. He wasn't even sure if Rogue wanted him to. Then Rogue's hand crept around to the back of his neck and she urged him closer. He leaned in and kissed her lips. After, he pulled away and studied Rogue's face for her reaction to the kiss. She smiled at him. He smiled back. He kissed her again, with a little more passion than before. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and a chill went through him as Rogue artistically moved her tongue across his. The kiss went on for almost a minute when Rogue pushed him away.

"Oh, God," Rogue said.

"What is it?" Logan asked.

"Let me up. Now!"

Logan climbed off of Rogue. She scrambled out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Logan was right behind her and he held her hair back as she threw up. When she was finished, she leaned herself against the tub with her head tilted back and her eyes closed. Logan flushed the toilet. He helped her up and she rinsed out her mouth.

"You're gonna have one helluva hangover in the morning," Logan said.

Rogue smiled. "I guess so."

Logan helped her back to bed. They both climbed into the bed and snuggled up to one another.

"Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For everything."

"You're welcome." Logan gave Rogue a tender kiss on the lips. "Goodnight, Rogue."

"Goodnight, Logan."


	5. Part 4

**I don't own X-Men.**

The morning sun shone brightly the next day. It poured through the window and into Rogue's room, stirring Logan from his slumber. Thanks to his healing abilities, he didn't have the slightest hint of a hangover. Unfortunately, Rogue was not going to fair so well.

Logan decided it was best to leave Rogue sleeping. But as he tried to slip out of Rogue's bed, she rolled over and snuggled up to him. She put her arm around his waist and pulled him closer. Her hand slid lower, trailing across the zipper of his jeans.

Logan squirmed at her touch. He had to admit that it was turning him on. He debated on whether or not he should stop her. His mind was made up when Rogue whispered to him. It was one word, but it ruined the entire moment. She had said "Bobby".

Logan looked over at her and saw that she was still asleep. He gently shook her shoulder. Rogue awoke. She opened her eyes for a split second before squeezing them shut. She rolled onto her back and draped her arm across her eyes in an attempt to block out the sun.

"How ya feelin'?" Logan asked.

"Icky," Rogue replied.

"You know, you talk in your sleep."

"So I've been told."

"I'm gonna…go now. Are you sure you'll be OK?"

Rogue waved him away with her hand. Logan got up. He filled up her bathroom cup with water and placed it on her nightstand with some aspirin from the medicine cabinet. He paused at the door to make sure no one was in the hallway. When he was certain that it was clear, he entered the hallway and quietly shut the door behind him. He made his way down the stairs.

Suddenly, Logan stopped in his tracks. He sensed that he was not the only one roaming the halls this early. When he figured out the student's scent, his hands clenched into fists.

Logan walked into the kitchen. Sure enough, there was Bobby sitting at the center island with a bowl of cereal. Logan stood in one spot for a moment, glaring at him.

"Drake," Logan said. Bobby looked up at him. "Come here, I wanna talk to you."

Bobby got up and walked over to where Logan was standing. "What is it?" he asked.

At that moment, something inside of Logan snapped. He grabbed Bobby by the front of his t-shirt and slammed him up against the wall.

"Jesus, Logan!" Bobby said.

"Do you enjoy playing with people's emotions?" Logan asked.

"What?"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. Last night. You and Kitty."

"I don't have to explain anything to you. Get the fuck off me!"

"I don't think so. I hope you realize just how good you had it with her. You let a damn good thing go for one cheap thrill. Well, let me tell you something, bub. Anyone who messes with Rogue has to answer to me. And you know that I am not a force to be reckoned with."

"Hey!"

They looked over to see Storm walk into the kitchen.

"Here's a stupid question," she said. "Is there a problem here?"

Logan looked back at Bobby and then at Storm. "No," he said and he released Bobby from his grip. "No problem here."

"I would hope not," Storm said.

Logan looked at Bobby. "Just remember what I said, got it?"

Bobby nodded slowly. Then Logan turned and left the kitchen.


	6. Part 5

It wasn't until twelve-thirty that Rogue finally awoke. She was able to sleep off most of her hangover, but a headache still lingered. She slowly sat up in her bed and rubbed her forehead. It was then that she noticed the aspirin and cup of water on her nightstand.

"Thank you, Logan," she said with a relieved sigh. She grabbed the aspirin and popped it into her mouth. Then gulped the water down, swallowing the pills.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Rogue asked.

There was no reply. Rogue got up and went over to the door. She opened it slowly, cautiously. Suddenly, she found Bobby pushing his way into her room. Before she had time to react, he grabbed her and started to kiss her. Rogue pushed him away and then slapped him across the face.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Rogue asked angrily and she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I deserved that," Bobby said. "I take it your still mad at me?"

"Let me put it to you this way; if I had heat exhaustion, I'd rather die than ask you to cool me off." Bobby just stared at her curiously for a moment. "What?"

"You taste like beer."

"Yeah, so?" Bobby took a step towards her, but she took a step away from him. "Don't," she warned.

"Rogue, you've been drinking. That's not like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, the Rogue I know wouldn't touch alcohol."

"I was depressed! Have you completely forgotten that I walked in on you and Kitty last night? I want you out of my room, Bobby Drake."

"Rogue, please. Just let me say what I have to say."

Rogue folded her arms across her chest. "Give me one good reason why I should."

"Because I'm an asshole and I want to apologize."

Rogue giggled. "Well, you got the first part right. OK, I'm listening."

Bobby took her hand in his and looked straight into her eyes. "Listen, I know what I did to you was wrong and truly, I am sorry. You've got to believe me; I never meant to hurt you. Someone told me earlier today that I let a damn good thing go for one cheap thrill. I've been thinking about it, and I'm starting to agree with them. I don't want to lose you. I…" Bobby took a deep breath. "I love you."

Rogue's breath caught in her throat. Bobby had never said that to her before now. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yes. I honestly do. Please, just give me one more chance."

Rogue sighed heavily. She glanced away for a moment and then looked back at Bobby. "It's not going to be easy, but if you're willing to try."

Bobby smiled. "Yes. Yes, I am."

"OK, then."

Bobby hugged her. Then he cupped her face with both hands and started to kiss her. Suddenly, Rogue pulled away.

"Bobby," she said. "There's something I have to tell you."

"It can wait," Bobby said. He pulled her close and kissed her again.

As he kissed her, Bobby started to guide her over to her bed. When she reached the edge of the bed, Rogue fell back onto it with Bobby on top of her. Their make out session would have progressed further if it weren't for the interruption.

"Ahem…"

They recognized the voice and immediately Bobby tore himself away from Rogue. He stood and Rogue sat up. The familiar voice belonged to Logan. He stood with his arms folded, leaning against the doorframe. It was then that Rogue remembered that she had left the door open.

"I see you two have kissed and made up," Logan said.

Rogue nodded.

"I got homework to catch up on," Bobby said. "I'll talk to you later."

He kissed Rogue's cheek and headed for the door. Logan glared at him as he walked by. As soon as he was out of earshot, Logan came into the room and shut the door behind him.

"You didn't tell him," Logan said.

"Tell him what?"

"We kissed last night."

"No, you kissed me."

"You didn't stop me."

"You didn't stop me from drinking."

"Rogue…"

"Logan, I tried to tell him. And…I don't know. I just…" Rogue stopped.

"What?" Logan pressed her.

"I'm confused."

"Do you think you made the right decision, taking Bobby back?"

Rogue sighed. "I hope so. I think we can work everything out."

"If he hurts you again, I swear…"

Rogue stood up and placed her hand on Logan's chest. Logan felt his heart skip a beat.

"I know that you're looking out for me," Rogue said. "And I appreciate it. But promise, that if Bobby does hurt me again, you'll let me at him first."

Logan laughed. "OK, I promise."

Rogue smiled and gave Logan a big hug. Logan forced a smile. Rogue was happy. Shouldn't that make him happy?


	7. Part 6

**2 chapters in one day. How much do you guys love me?**

**Logan opens up to Storm. I don't own X-men.**

That evening, Logan took a walk about the grounds of the mansion. He walked into the courtyard and sat down on the ground in front of the memorials of the fallen X-men. He had found it a good place to sit and think, or to have a good cry. It made him a bit depressed to think that the in-coming students would never know about Scott Summers and Jean Grey, and that Charles Xavier would just be "the dude that started the school."

Logan heard footsteps approaching. He turned to see Storm walking into the courtyard. She walked over to him and sat down on the ground.

"You all right?" Storm asked. Logan nodded. Storm pulled her knees into her chest. "I need to ask you something."

"I'm listening," Logan assured her.

"Logan, I _do _walk the halls during the night and I know that there was about three hours that Rogue wasn't in bed last night."

"She was in the common room crying."

"And drinking."

Logan gave her a curious look. "How do you know she was drinking?"

"You always get a twenty-four case of beer. When I get up in the morning, fourteen beers are left."

"Your point?"

"This morning, there were eleven." Logan was silent. "You gave an underage student alcohol."

"I never meant it to get out of hand. She asked for the beer."

"That doesn't mean you had to give it to her! Did anything else happen last night?"

Logan sighed. "Well…"

"Oh, God!" Storm cried. "I don't _believe_ you."

"I didn't sleep with her! I slept in her bed. Our clothes stayed on. It was totally innocent. She was drunk off her ass."

"Then what did happen?"

"I kissed her."

Storm's eyebrows rose. "Really?"

Logan nodded. "I don't know what made me do it."

"I do. The alcohol."

Logan looked at Storm. "I've thought about that. I really don't think it was."

Storm smiled. "Oh, my God," she cooed. "You love her."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Please!"

"Logan, I know you are of the male species, but it is OK to admit your feelings."

Logan sighed heavily and rubbed his chin. "I don't know. She got back together with Bobby."

"I heard. This is a school, news spread like a wildfire."

Logan shook his head. "I don't get it. How could she go back with him after that?"

"Jealous?"

"So what if I am? She's gonna get hurt again. I know it."

"Then maybe you should tell her how you feel."

Logan shook his head. "I can't tell her that."

"Why not?"

"She's still young and I'm…well, I don't even know how old I am. When I first came here, Jean…" Logan paused. Storm placed her hand on Logan's.

"I miss her, too. I miss all of them." She drew her hand back. "As far as the age gap between you and Rogue, I have nothing to say but a cliché."

"Love knows no age?" Storm nodded.

They sat in silence for a while. Logan turned over his thoughts in his head. Finally, he stood up and started to walk back towards the mansion. Storm smiled.

"Good luck, Logan," she said.


	8. Part 7

**I don't own X-Men. I wish I did. I hope you watched Hugh Jackman on Jay Leno.**

Rogue walked down the hallway to Kitty's room. She knocked on the door. Kitty's head phased through the door.

"Hey," Kitty said.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Rogue asked.

"Yeah, come on in."

Kitty grabbed Rogue's hand and phased her through the door. They both sat down on Kitty's bed.

"I was just wondering," Kitty said. "If you've forgiven Bobby, does that mean you forgive me too?"

Rogue thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I'm glad. Because I am sorry."

"You're my best friend, Kit. I don't want to lose our friendship over a guy."

Kitty held her arms open. Rogue smiled and gave her a big hug.

"I gotta tell you something," Rogue said.

"What is it?"

Rogue sighed. "I'm not sure I made the right decision when I took Bobby back."

"Yeah, I don't think you did either." Kitty stood up. "You want the God's honest truth? Bobby pursued me. I knew that I shouldn't have done what I did. I tried to resist his ways, but I gave in."

"I know. His powers of persuasion are very strong."

"Rogue, I can almost guarantee you that he's gonna try it again. People don't change that quickly."

"He wants to change."

"No, all he wants is to get laid. I'm telling you, when he is alone with me, it's like you don't even exist."

Just then, there was a knock at her door. Kitty got up and poked her head through the door.

"Hold on," she said. She turned to Rogue. "It's Bobby," she whispered. "You really wanna see what he'll do, hide in the closet."

Rogue got up and ran into Kitty's closet. She left the door open a crack to see what was going on. Kitty opened her door and let Bobby in.

"Hey, hot stuff," Bobby said as he walked into the room.

"Hey," Kitty said.

Bobby shut her door and locked it. He put his arms around Kitty's waist.

"Bobby, what are you doing?" Kitty asked.

"What?" Bobby asked. "You don't want me to hold you?"

"But what about…?"

Bobby put his finger to her lips. "I know what you're going to say. Don't you worry about Rogue. She'll never know. It'll be our little secret."

"Well, we do have to be more careful this time around."

"Why do you think I locked the door?"

Bobby kissed Kitty. Like he did with Rogue earlier, he guided her over to the bed and when she fell back onto the bed, he crawled on top of her. Rogue couldn't take it anymore. She burst out of Kitty's closet.

"Bobby!" she screamed.

Bobby got up quickly. "What the…?" he asked.

Rogue shoved him. "I trusted you! You're not sorry at all!"

Then she punched him in the face. He fell onto the floor and Rogue continued to hit him. Kitty pulled her off of him and they phased through the floor. They landed on the floor below, startling Logan.

"What the heck?" he asked.

Rogue threw her arms around him, buried her face into his chest and started to cry.

"Hey, now," Logan said, rubbing her back. "It's OK."

"I'm sorry, Rogue," Kitty said. "You had to know."

"No," Rogue sobbed. "I owe you a lot, Kitty."

Just then, they heard footsteps pounding on the stairs. Bobby came down the stairs and started over to them. He stopped short when he saw that Logan was with them. Logan released Rogue from his embrace and popped out his dagger claws.

"You're already on thin ice with us, Bobby Drake," Logan said through clenched teeth. "I wouldn't push your luck."

"Logan," Kitty said. "We've already lost three X-men. Let's not lose another one so soon."

Logan withdrew his claws. "Get the hell out of here," he said to Bobby.

Bobby turned around and went back to his room. Logan turned to the girls.

"Explain," he said.

"I think we're going to need some sundaes," Kitty said.

"Root beer floats," Rogue corrected.

Logan draped his arm over Rogue's shoulders. "Whatever you want, darling."

They all went to the kitchen.

X

"And that's when we ran into you," Kitty said and she finished off her root beer float.

Logan looked at Rogue. "How does it feel to hit that son of a bitch?"

Rogue smiled. "It felt pretty good actually."

Kitty let out a big yawn. "I think I'm gonna head up to bed. You gonna be all right?"

"Yeah, I'll be OK," Rogue said. "Thanks again, Kit."

"Goodnight," Logan said.

Kitty placed her cup into the dishwasher and went back to her bedroom. Rogue turned to Logan.

"You got any beer?" Rogue asked.

Logan laughed. "No. Storm pours whatever is left down the drain every morning."

"Oh. We could go get some."

"Rogue, that's not gonna help you."

Rogue leaned in towards Logan. "Alcohol seems to make good things happen."

Logan's lip curved into a small smile. "That it does."

"I don't want to drink to forget my Bobby woes."

"I think I understand. But just so you know, you don't need alcohol to have fun."

"I know that."

Logan finished his root beer float. "I'm gonna go to bed. You sure you'll be OK?"

Rogue smiled. "You don't have to worry about me, Logan."

"I do worry about you. You keep me sane."

Rogue giggled. "Goodnight, Logan."

Logan got up from his seat and started back to his room. He stopped when his super hearing picked up a whisper. He smiled to himself. "I will," he said, and he continued on to his room.


	9. Part 8

Later that night, Logan lay awake in his bed. He had been ready to tell Rogue his true feelings for her. That was, until she and Kitty fell out of the ceiling. When he saw her crying and had learned that Bobby had, yet again, cheated on her, he knew that it hadn't been the right time to tell her. He would have to wait until he had another opportunity. He hoped that would come sooner rather than later.

Suddenly, he heard a noise outside his bedroom. He heard the door handle turn and the door opened slowly. He looked over to see Rogue enter the room, now dressed in a short nightgown. Her glance met Logan's and she smiled.

"So you did hear me," Rogue said.

"The door was unlocked, wasn't it?" Logan asked.

Rogue closed the door. Logan pulled the covers back and Rogue climbed into his bed.

"Ya know," Rogue said. "When I was little, I would wake up from nightmares and go into my parents room. I'd climb into their bed and wiggle my way between them. I always knew that if I was really upset, they would be there to give me a hug and tell me that everything was gonna be OK." She paused.

"What was it like when they found out about your powers?" Logan asked.

"They didn't care so much that I was a mutant. It was the fact that they couldn't touch me that really hurt them."

Then they were silent.

"If you want to go visit them some time, I'll take you."

Rogue smiled seductively. "Did you just say that you'll 'take me'?"

Logan frowned. "That's not what I meant."

"So you're saying that you'll go with me?"

"Yeah."

Rogue scooted closer to him. "All the way?" she asked in a sexy voice.

"Will you knock that off? Do you have to make everything sound sexual?"

"I can't help it."

There was silence once again.

"You miss your parents, don't you?" Logan asked. Rogue nodded. She sighed deeply. "You OK?"

"I'll be fine," Rogue answered.

"You're sure?"

"Logan, you worry too much."

"I'm just worried about you."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Rogue…"

"No, I wanna know. Tell me what's going on in that mind of yours."

Logan took a deep breath. "It's because I…" He stopped.

"What?" Rogue pressed him.

"I don't why I'm having such a hard time saying this."

"Logan, I've always been able to tell you anything. You know you can do the same with me."

Logan took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. "I love you."

Rogue felt her heart skip a beat. She smiled at him. "Why Logan, I do believe you're going soft on me," she teased.

Logan scowled. He let go of her hand. "Well, if that's all you've got to say about it." He threw the covers off and got out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Rogue asked as she got out of bed.

Logan turned to face her. "I'm trying to be serious for once and you're making jokes. Thanks for letting me know that I can tell you anything." He headed for the door.

"Logan," Rogue called to him. He stopped. "I love you."

Logan turned slowly. "What did you say?"

"You heard me the first time."

"I wanna hear you say it again."

Rogue smiled. "I love you, Logan."

They stood in silence for a moment, looking at each other. Then Logan reached behind him and locked the door. Rogue smiled devilishly. She climbed back into bed and Logan joined her. He pulled her close and started to kiss her. They held each other close and their fingers roamed over each other's skin as the kissing went on. Suddenly, Logan pulled away from her.

"Does this make me the rebound guy?" he asked.

"We'll worry about that later," Rogue replied and she pulled him in for another kiss.

Logan switched from kissing her lips to kissing her neck. He smiled when he heard a small moan escape her lips. "You like that?" he asked in a husky voice.

"Uh huh," was her reply.

"Rogue, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Would I have let you get this far if I wasn't?"

"Good point."

With that, Logan reached over and turned off the light.

X

"Kitty. Kitty, wake up."

Kitty groaned. She switched the light on and when her eyes adjusted, she saw Storm standing at her bedside.

"Storm?" Kitty asked. "What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Rogue?" Storm asked.

"Well, she passed by my room…" Kitty glanced at her clock. "…About three hours ago."

"Did she say where she was going?"

"No. You should ask Logan."

Finally, it hit Storm. "Kitty, come with me. I think I know where she is."

Kitty got out of bed and followed Storm down the hall. They stopped in front of Logan's door. Storm tried the door, only to find that it was locked.

"I don't want to wake him up," Storm said. "Let's just phase through and have a quick peek."

"OK," Kitty said.

She took Storm's hand. They both poked their heads through the door. It was dark in the room, but in the moonlight they could see Logan in his bed with Rogue snuggled up next to him. They were both asleep. Their clothes were scattered about on the floor. Kitty and Storm phased back through the door.

"Whoa," Kitty said.

Storm smiled. "I knew that they would get together eventually. I'm so happy for them."

"Doesn't this violate some student/teacher thingy?"

"Technically, Logan is not a teacher."

"Oh, OK." Then a new thought crossed Kitty's mind. "Wait until Bobby finds out about this."

"Let him find out on his own."

"Good idea."

Storm put her hand on Kitty's shoulder and led her away. "Alright, back to bed with you, miss. And don't do any more peeking, OK?"

"Yes, mommy," Kitty singsonged.


	10. Part 9

Logan could tell that Rogue was still in his room even before he awoke. He knew her scent well. When he awoke, he found her standing in front of his closet, buttoning up one of his flannel shirts.

"It looks cute on you," Logan said.

Rogue turned to look at him. "Well, you ripped my nightgown last night."

"Did I?" He searched the discarded garments on the floor. He picked up Rogue's nightgown to see that indeed there was a big tear down the side of it. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's OK." Rogue closed the closet. She climbed onto the bed and crawled over to him. She kissed him deeply. "It was worth it."

Logan smiled, but then the smile quickly faded.

"What?" Rogue asked.

"I just realized something," he said. "We didn't use any…"

"Logan, I'm on birth control."

"What? When did you start that?"

"After I got the cure."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Rogue laughed. "That's girl stuff. I didn't think you would want to know."

Logan thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Logan looked at the clothes on the floor. Then he looked back at Rogue. "Are you wearing my boxers, too?"

"Uh huh," she said in a seductive voice.

"Nice!"

Rogue giggled. "Hey, I believe you're supposed to make me breakfast now."

"OK, then. How do you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled." Rogue got up and pulled a pair of boxers out of his dresser. She tossed them at him. "Put these on."

Logan put the boxers on. Then he and Rogue made their way downstairs to the kitchen. Logan started breakfast while Rogue started to unload the dishwasher. As she bent over to get the dishes on the bottom rack, Logan walked past and smacked her ass. She let out a squeal and giggled.

"Logan!" she shrieked.

Logan smiled playfully at her. "I couldn't resist. You left the opportunity wide open."

Rogue eyed him mischievously and then wrapped her arms around his neck. Logan responded by wrapping his arms around her waist. He kissed her passionately. Then he pulled away from her.

"Logan, what is it?" Rogue asked.

He held his finger up to his lips. He sniffed the air. "Bobby's headed this way."

"I could care less," she said and she sat down at the center island.

Logan shrugged and went back to making breakfast. A few minutes later, Bobby entered the kitchen. He stopped and assessed the situation. Logan was standing at the stove, cooking breakfast in nothing but his boxers. He turned to Rogue and saw that she was wearing Logan's shirt. Bobby just shot her a dirty look and continued on, searching the cupboards and not saying anything.

When the food was ready, Logan separated it onto two plates and served one to Rogue. Then he sat down across from her with his own plate.

Rogue poked her eggs with her fork. "I'm not gonna die from eating these, am I?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Have a little bit of faith in my cooking abilities, will ya?"

Rogue laughed. "I'm just teasing you, Logan." She leaned across the counter and kissed his cheek.

They both jumped when the heard the cupboard slam shut. They turned to see Bobby storming out of the kitchen.

X

Rogue had gotten to her first class early. She sat in her usual seat and started to doodle in her notebook. Then a shadow fell over her book. She looked up to see Kitty.

"Hey," Kitty said, pulling up a chair.

"Hey," Rogue said.

"So?"

Rogue gave her a confused look. "So what?"

"Oh, come on!" Kitty said. "You don't want to girl talk with me? I want the details of last night."

A big smile came to Rogue's face and she started to blush. "Well, what do you want to know?"

"You slept with him, didn't you?" Rogue nodded. "Well, how was it?"

Rogue giggled. "Better than Bobby."

"Better than Bobby how?" Kitty pursued.

"In performance and uh…size."

The girls giggled excitedly.

"Does your ex know about this yet?" Kitty asked.

Rogue shifted in her seat. "He came into the kitchen this morning and saw me wearing one of Logan's shirts. I gave Logan a kiss on the cheek and then Bobby just walked away."

Kitty frowned. "I want to warn you. Things could get really ugly between you two."

Rogue nodded. "I know. But I really don't care."

More students started to come into the classroom.

"We can talk more later," Rogue said.

Kitty nodded and the girls got ready for class to start.

X

When her classes were finished for the day, Rogue made her way back to her bedroom. She had hardly been able to keep focused on her work. Thoughts of the night before kept drifting into her head. Thoughts of what actions Bobby might take against her or Logan also drifted into her mind. She never expected what had happened next.

Rogue stopped at her bedroom door. She was absolutely mortified. Someone had scrolled graffiti on her door. It was the most derogatory word she knew. As she stood staring at her door, tears started to flow down her cheeks. She sunk to the floor, pulled her knees into her chest and cried her eyes out. A moment later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Storm.

"Rogue, what's wrong?" she asked.

Rogue pointed to her door. Storm looked and saw the graffiti. He mouth dropped open.

"Oh, my word," Storm said. She turned back to Rogue and pulled her into a comforting embrace. "It's OK, honey. We'll get rid of it."

"I'd rather get rid of the person that did it," Rogue sobbed.

"I know," Storm said.


	11. Part 10

**You've got questions, I've got answers. Enjoy! I still don't X-Men.**

"It' not gonna come off," Kitty said.

"Just keep working at it," Jubilee said. "It's gotta come off eventually."

"I'm not leaving this up for everyone to see," Storm said.

Just then, Logan appeared upon the scene. He looked at the three girls and scratched his head. They were all standing in front of Rogue's room. Each of them had a blow dryer in hand. Extension cords snaked across the floor and into the room across the hall.

"What in the hell are you girls doing?" Logan asked them.

They all turned to look at him. Then they switched off the blow dryers and backed up against the door.

"Nothing," Jubilee said.

"It doesn't look like nothing," Logan said as he stepped closer.

"Logan, I've already disciplined the student that did this," Storm said. "Don't go getting all worked up over it."

Logan gently pushed the girls aside. He was shocked by what he saw. There on Rogue's door, etched in solid ice, was the word.

**SLUT!**

Logan clenched his hands into fists. He knew exactly who had done this and in his mind he started to plan the slow, painful death of this student. Then his thoughts turned to Rogue.

"Has she seen this?" Logan asked. Storm nodded. "Where is she?"

"In there," Storm replied.

Logan knocked on the door.

"Go away!"

"Rogue, it's me. Can I come in?"

A moment later, the lock clicked. The door opened slightly and Logan slipped inside. He shut the door behind him. Rogue threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"You OK?" Logan asked.

"Why would he do that?" she asked.

"Because he's a jackass." Logan cupped her face with his hand, wiping away a tear with his thumb. "Now, what do I have to do to see that pretty smile of yours?"

"Aw, you're sweet talking me."

"Is it working?"

Rogue leaned in and kissed him. When they separated, she smiled brightly. "What would I do without you, Logan?"

"You would be sad, lonely and sexually frustrated," Logan joked. Rogue laughed. "Feeling better?"

"A lot better. Thanks."

"Anything for you, darling."

X

Bobby came down the hallway. In his hands he held several pieces of paper. He stopped at Rogue's door. "Miss Munroe?"

Storm turned her blow dryer off. "Yes, Bobby?" she asked.

"I'm finished."

"Let me see," Storm said, extending her hand.

Bobby handed her the papers. On them, was written the phase "I will not vandalize school property and I will not call people names." He had neatly numbered each time it was written. In total, it was written one hundred, fifty times.

"Fine," Storm said. "I hoped you've learned something from this."

Bobby nodded. Just then, the door to Rogue's room opened and Logan stepped out, pulling the door shut behind him. He and Bobby eyed each other. Logan folded his arms across his chest. Bobby turned to Storm.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Suddenly you care," Logan said.

Bobby turned back to Logan. "I wasn't talking to you. This is an A and B conversation. C yourself out of it."  
Logan smirked. "Oh, yeah. Nice comeback."

"Enough!" Storm said. "Bobby, go back to your room."

Bobby left, but not before giving Logan a deadly glare.

X

That night, all was quiet in the mansion. Storm was still awake, trying to get ready for class the next day. She sat cross-legged on her bed with the students' papers laid in neat piles around her.

Suddenly, the quietness of the mansion was pierced by a blood-curdling scream. Storm got up, abandoning her work, and ran off down the hall towards the source of the scream. She found Rogue's room and a group of students standing around.

"What's going on?" Storm asked.

"We don't know," Kitty said. "The door's locked and Rogue won't open it."

"We have to get in there. We'll phase through."

Kitty took Storm's hand and the two of them went through the door. Storm gasped. Logan lay on the floor convulsing, his eyes rolled up into his head. They looked around the room and saw Rogue sitting in the corner. She was curled up tightly into a ball and crying hysterically. A bed sheet was wrapped around her. As Storm attended to Logan, Kitty went over to Rogue. She bent down in front of her friend.

"Rogue?" she asked softly and she extended a hand towards her.

"Don't touch me!" Rogue screamed. "You can't touch me!"

Kitty backed away a little. "It's back? Your powers came back?"

"It wasn't supposed to be like this. I thought the cure was for good."


	12. Part 11

When Logan came to, he was back in his room. His entire body ached. He raised his hand slowly and rubbed his forehead.

"You're awake."

He looked over to see Storm sitting by his bedside. "What the hell happened?" he asked.

"Rogue's powers came back," Storm replied.

"Right, and at the most opportune moment." Storm stifled a laugh. "How is she?"

"She's taking it pretty hard."

Logan sighed deeply. "I can't believe this is happening."

Storm placed a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be OK, Logan."

"How, Storm? Tell me how. I'll never be able to touch her again." Logan sat up. "You have no idea what it feels like to finally be close to her." Logan suddenly felt dizzy. He lay back in his bed and closed his eyes tightly. "Damn, I shouldn't have sat up that fast."

"Get some sleep. I'll stop by to check on you later." Storm got up and left the room.

X

She searched the mansion, but Storm couldn't find Rogue. She looked in all of the usual places that Rogue liked to hang out. She stopped to think for a moment.

"Where could she be?" Storm asked herself.

She then remembered the last time that Rogue had absorbed Logan's powers. For a few days afterwards, Rogue had a few of Logan's mannerisms. It was then that Storm knew where to find her.

She walked outside and into the courtyard. Sure enough, she found Rogue sitting on the ground in front of the X-Men memorials. Storm came and sat down next to her. She noticed that Rogue's hands were now covered with long black gloves.

"Logan's awake," Storm said.

Rogue looked over at Storm. "Is he OK?"

"A little achy and woozy, but he'll be all right."

Rogue sighed deeply. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Oh, sweetie. It'll be OK."

"How? Tell me how. I'll never be able to touch him again. You have no idea what it feels like to finally be close to him."

Storm smiled. "He just said the same thing about you."

"Really?"

Storm nodded. "Exact same way, too."

"Well, I did just absorb him. It's gonna wear off soon."

Storm sighed. "Rogue, tell me something. How much do you love Logan?"

"A lot. I really care about him, and he truly cares about me. All of his memories and thoughts are running around in my head right now. I know how he feels about me. He may have a rough exterior, but his emotions run deep."

"And how does he feel when he touches you? When he kisses you?" Storm leaned in closer and dropped her voice to a whisper. "When he makes love to you?"

Rogue thought for a moment. Then a smile came to her face. "He loves it. He thinks that there is nothing better. It's his state of grace."

"Think about that, Rogue."

Storm got up and started back to the mansion, leaving Rogue with her thoughts. After a few moments, Rogue got up and ran after Storm.

"Teach me to control my powers."

Storm stopped and turned around. "What did you say?"

"I want to learn to control my powers."

Storm smiled. "That's what I thought you said. But understand something. Learning to control your powers is going to take a lot of time and mental concentration."

"I can do it. I _want_ to do it. I wanna start right now."

"Alright, then. You know what meditation is?"

"Yeah."

"That's what we're gonna do."

Storm took Rogue's gloved hand and led her into the mansion.

X

Rogue sat on the floor of her room. Storm sat opposite of her. Rogue steadied her breathing. She pushed every thought out of her head, allowing it to be blank. She relaxed all the muscles in her body, letting go of all the tension.

Rogue started to feel Storm's powers being transferred over to her. She immediately let go of her hand. Storm started hyperventilating.

"You alright?" Rogue asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Storm said, trying to catch her breath. "I'm fine."

"How long did we go for that time?"

Storm looked at the stopwatch around her neck. "A new record. Fifteen minutes."

"That's great. It's working."

Storm smiled. "Pretty soon you'll have full control over it."

"I hope so."

Then there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Rogue said.

Kitty phased through the door. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"No," Storm said. "We're finished." She got up from the floor. "Same time tomorrow."

"OK," Rogue said.

Then Storm left the room. Kitty sat down on Rogue's bed.

"So?" Kitty asked.

"Fifteen minutes," Rogue replied.

"That's awesome! But…" Kitty stopped.

"What?" Rogue asked.

"I was just wondering, are you going to be able to control it if you and Logan…ya know."

Rogue laughed and started to blush. "Well, we'll see."


	13. Part 12

**This story has over 10,000 hits! Much thanks! You guys are the best! Enjoy the chapter!**

Rogue ran down the hallway with a bright smile on her face. She stopped at Kitty's room and knocked vigorously on the door. Kitty's hand phased through the door. She grabbed Rogue's wrist and pulled her through the door.

"What is so damn important?" Kitty asked. "I was almost asleep."

"Sixteen hours and counting," Rogue replied.

Kitty's eyes widened. A smile slowly crept onto her face. Both girls squealed. They embraced each other while jumping up and down.

"How?" Kitty asked.

"I've been carrying a potted flower around all day," Rogue explained. "I've been timing it since I got up this morning. It hasn't died yet."

"This is great." Kitty grabbed a hairbrush off her dresser. She held it up like a microphone. "Rogue, you've just made a great stride with learning to control your powers. What are you going to do now?" She held the hairbrush out to Rogue.

Rogue smiled playfully. "Well, I can't reveal too much. All I can say is it involves me, Logan, a pair of handcuffs and a bottle of whipped cream."

"And that thing we bought at the mall the other day."

"Oh, of course!"

Kitty giggled excitedly. "You are so bad!"  
"I know. Now, I've got work to do."

"You go, girl!"

"But first, I need something sweet."

Rogue left Kitty's room. She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. She searched the cupboards for some candy.

"I know we have some in here somewhere," Rogue said to herself.

She pulled a chair over. She climbed up onto the countertop to reach the higher cupboards. Finally, she came across a bag of lollipops.

"Score," she said to herself.

"You mind sharing?"

Rogue whirled around. She slipped, falling off the countertop and into Logan's arms. Rogue was stunned and it took a moment for her to catch her breath.

"God, Logan!" she said. "You scared the bejesus out of me!"

"You shouldn't be standing on the counter in the first place," Logan said. "Keep your feet on the floor." He sat her down on the counter.

"If Storm didn't hide the sweets, I wouldn't have to stand on the countertop." She opened up the bag of lollipops. She took one out and unwrapped it slowly.

"Looks like your sweet tooth kicked in," Logan said.

"Uh huh," Rogue said and she licked the lollipop.

Logan watched her. She winked at him and licked the lollipop mischievously. He gave her a strange look.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"What?" Rogue asked, innocently. "I'm just having a lollipop."

Logan gave her a cunning smile. "You're teasing me, aren't you?"

"Maybe."

Logan sauntered over to her. "I must say that it is incredibly sexy." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Tell me. Right now, how long can you touch somebody before your powers take over?"

"Sixteen hours plus."

Logan's eyes widened. "Seriously?" Rogue nodded. Logan pulled her close to him. "What do you think about coming upstairs with me?" he whispered.

"What took you so long to pick up on my hints?"

Rogue jumped down from the countertop. She ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs with Logan following her. When they finally reached Rogue's room, Logan pushed her up against the door and kissed her passionately. Rogue reached behind her and opened the door. Logan followed her lead as she backed into the room, shutting the door behind him. Then Rogue pulled away from him.

"I've got a sexy surprise for you," she said. She pulled him over to the bed. "Sit down." Logan obeyed her command. "You get yourself ready while I set up your surprise."

She picked up a pink bag from the floor and went into the bathroom.

"This better be worth the wait," Logan said as he removed his shirt.

"It will be," Rogue replied. "Trust me."

A few minutes later, Logan was sitting on Rogue's bed wearing nothing but his boxers.

"Ready?" Rogue asked.

"Yeah," Logan replied.

"Close your eyes."

Logan groaned, but closed his eyes. "Alright, they're closed."

He heard her soft footsteps as she walked back into the room. "Do you remember our first time together and you tore my nightgown?"

"Yeah?" Logan said.

"Open your eyes."

Logan opened his eyes. Rogue stood in front of him, wearing a sexy red nightgown.

"Whoa," Logan said. "Where did you get that?"

"Kitty and I went to the mall the other day," Rogue said.

"Victoria's Secret?"

"Only the best. You like it?"

Logan grinned. "Oh, yeah."

"Then get down on the bed and assume the position."

X

"Damn, Rogue," Logan said. "You really missed it that much?"

Rogue giggled. "I'm sorry. I'll take it easy on you next time."

"God, I hope not."

"Oh, you liked that, did you?"

"Hell yeah. This has got to happen more often."

Rogue giggled. "Well, now that I have the upper hand on my powers, you can bet that it _will _happen a lot more often."

Logan smiled. "Can I tell you something?"

"Anything."

Logan moved closer to her. He ran his fingers through her hair. "You are the sexiest, most beautiful woman I know."

Rogue giggled. "You sure know how to sweet talk."

"That's my good quality."

"Oh, please. You have more than one good quality."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"You're great in bed."

Logan laughed. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

They curled up to each other and fell asleep.

X

Logan shook Rogue's shoulder. "Rogue, wake up."

Rogue groaned. She rolled over and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Quarter after eight."

"Crap!" She threw the covers off of her and scrambled out of bed. "Class starts in fifteen minutes."

Rogue got dressed quickly. She checked herself in the mirror.

"Where's my hairbrush?" she asked, looking around.

Logan picked it up from the nightstand and tossed it to her. She ran it through her hair.

"Better?" Rogue asked.

"Much," Logan said.

Rogue came over to Logan and kissed him. Then Logan pushed her away.

"I'm not going to let you fail," he said. "Get going."

"Alright," Rogue said. "I'll see you later."

Rogue slung her book bag over her shoulder. She left the room and rushed down the stairs. She raced down the hallway.

"Rogue!"

She stopped and turned to see Storm.

"I can't talk," Rogue said. "I'm gonna be late for class."

"Then can you stop by my office later?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright, see ya then."

Rogue continued on to her class. She got there just in time and sat down in her seat. Class went by pretty quick and before she knew it, class was over. When the class was dismissed, Rogue made her way to Storm's office. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," Storm said.

Rogue went into the office. She sat down opposite of Storm.

"You needed to talk to me?" Rogue asked.

"Yes," Storm said. "I wanted to talk to you about your plans for when you finish your schooling."

Rogue was silent. "You know, I haven't really thought of it."

"Rogue, I just wanted you to be aware of the options open to you. Of course, you know you can go to college, and with your grades, I'm pretty certain you could get into a very nice one."

Rogue sighed. "Storm, I really need time to think about it."

"You only have the rest of this year to decide."

"Yeah, but there are things that I have to take into consideration before I make my decision."

Storm sighed. "Is Logan one of the things that has to be taken into consideration?"

"I thought you were happy that Logan and I were together!"

"I am! I just don't want you to make such big sacrifices to be with him."

Rogue stood up. "Relationships are about compromises, not sacrifices. I think we've had enough of this discussion." She turned and walked out the office, slamming the door shut behind her.


	14. Part 13

**My apologies. I posted this before it was ready and had extreme errors in writing. Here is the revised copy. I still don't own X-men (or the fortune cookies).**

Storm walked into the kitchen. She found Logan standing in front of the open refrigerator.

"Anything good?" she asked as she sat down at the island.

"Not really," Logan replied. He took out a can of soda and closed the fridge.

"Hey, do you have a minute?"

"Sure." Logan popped open the soda. "What's up?

"Well, you know that Rogue is in her senior year, right?"

"Yeah, I know that."

"So, I was thinking that maybe she should start looking at colleges."

Logan gave her a curious look. "Did she say she wanted to go to college?"

"Well, no."

"Then why are you so worried about it?"

Storm gave an exasperated sigh. "Logan, Rogue has an A average in all of her classes. Any college would just die to have her."

"Why hasn't she talked about this with me?"

"If she hasn't, then bring it up with her. Help her make a decision."

Logan scowled at her. "Oh, I see what this is about. You think that because I have more influence over her, you can use me to make her do what you want."

"That is not what I said! You're twisting my words around."

"Then what, Storm? What do you want me to do?"

Storm stood. She walked around to where Logan was and stood in front of him. "I want you to talk to her about it. Tell her what you think she should do. Let her know how you feel about it. You are a big part of her life and she is not going to make this decision without you."

Logan sighed. He looked away for a moment and then looked back at Storm. "OK, I'll talk to her."

He set his soda down on the counter and left the kitchen. He walked up the stairs to Rogue's room. Her door was open. She was sitting on the floor with her textbooks around her. Logan leaned against the doorframe.

"Working hard or hardly working?" he asked her.

Rogue looked up from her work. She smiled at him. "Actually, I could use a break right about now." She set her work aside. "What's up?"

Logan came into the room, shutting the door behind him. He sat down on her bed. "Look, we need to talk."

Rogue frowned. "I don't like the sound of that."

"No, it's nothing bad. It's just…" Logan sighed.

"Logan, what is it?"

"Storm pulled me aside earlier and…"

"Oh, God. She pulled you into this, too?"

"Rogue." He stood up and pulled her up off the floor. "Listen to me. You've been making straight A's since you've come here. You can go to NYU or UCLA or…England to study Elizabethan Architecture."

"Impressive vocabulary there, Logan."

He shook off her comment. "But I don't want you to miss the opportunity to go to college because of me."

"Is that what you want? Is that what you _truly _want? Because, understand that if I do go away to college, there's a chance that we won't see each other for weeks at a time."

"It's a small price to pay."

"Logan, I want to be with you. I want to have a relationship with you."

Logan smiled. He leaned in a kissed her. "Promise one thing though," he said when the kiss parted.

"What's that?"

"You won't go too far away from here."

Rogue giggled. "Well, I don't know if I can promise you that, but I am going to look into the schools that are close by."

"You don't have to do that just to satisfy me."

"But I want to." Rogue wrapped her arms around his neck. "What was it you said before? Oh, yeah. I'd be sad, lonely and sexually frustrated without you."

"Well, if you go to school close by, it'll be easier for me to take care of you when you're sad, lonely and sexually frustrated."

Rogue giggled. "So you'll sit with me and go through college brochures? You'll go on campus tours with me and all that fun stuff?"

Logan sighed, but smiled. "What on Earth did I just get myself into?"

"My pants. But I think we should have lunch first."

"Sounds good. I'll buy. Let's go."

X

"Are you finished yet?" Rogue asked.

"Yeah," Logan replied.

"Good."

She tossed a fortune cookie at him. They had gone into town to get lunch. When they returned, they set it up in a grassy, shady part on the mansion grounds.

"How is it possible for you to eat all of that and still stay so skinny?"

"Shut up and open your cookie."

Logan removed the cookie from its wrapper. He cracked it open and removed the slip of paper that was inside.

"What does it say?" Rogue asked.

"Bad luck and misfortune will haunt you forever," Logan said.

Rogue laughed. "It does not say that!" She tore the fortune out of his hand. "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world," she read. She looked up at Logan. "Good one."

"I agree. What does yours say?"

Rogue cracked her cookie open and removed her fortune. "When you love someone, all your saved up wishes come out."

"Also a good one."

Rogue smiled. "Funny how out of all the fortune cookies, we both got one with a love quote inside."

Logan sprawled out on his back. "Can you tell me something?"

"Depends on what it is," Rogue said, lying out on her stomach.

"What do you want?"

Rogue gave him a confused look. She cocked her head to the side. "I don't know what you mean."

"What I mean is, what are your 'saved up wishes'? What do you want?"

Rogue smiled. She thought for a moment before answering. "I guess…I want to teach here when I, ya know, 'grow up'."

They laughed.

"What else?" Logan asked. "Marriage? Babies? Any of that stuff in your future?"

Rogue laughed. "Are you implying something?"

"I'm just asking a question."

Rogue shrugged. "I don't know. _Somebody _would have to ask me."

Logan eyed her suspiciously. "Are _you _implying something?"

Rogue grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?" With that, she popped half of the fortune cookie into her mouth.


	15. Part 14

**Warning: This chapter MUST be read the whole way through.**

True to his word, Logan helped Rogue with her search to find the right college. Storm had collected college brochures and had given some to Rogue to look over. After narrowing down her choices, she planned tours of the colleges.

Logan went with Rogue on the college tours. Every tour was the same. They would start out in the school's auditorium with a slide presentation by a middle-aged faculty member with a monotone voice. A walk around the campus with an overly enthusiastic upperclassman would then follow. It would end with a lunch in the dining hall.

After taking the tours, Rogue was able to cross a few more colleges off of her list. She had five colleges that she wanted to apply to. She filled out the applications and sent them in. Now all she had to do was wait for the replies. Her anxiousness was driving Logan crazy, but it would soon settle down.

One day, they got a visit from someone they hadn't seen in a while. The doorbell rang, resounding through the mansion. Logan answered. When he opened the door, there stood Hank McCoy.

"Hey, Fur ball," Logan said.

Hank smirked. "Nice to see you, Logan."

"Come on in."

"Thank you."

Hank came in and Logan shut the door behind him. Just then, Storm appeared. When she saw Hank, a big smile came to her face. The two exchanged warm greetings and a hug.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" Storm asked.

"Well," Hank said. "Just this."

He handed a small stack of pamphlets to Storm. She looked them over curiously. Then she looked up at Hank.

"A mutant scholarship fund?" she asked.

Hank smiled and nodded. "That's right. For young mutants seeking a college education."

"Oh, wow," Storm said. "This is great. I know some students who could use this."

"Logan!"

They all turned to see Rogue come running down the stairs. She ran over to Logan. She hugged him, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist. Logan stumbled but managed to keep his balance.

"My, what a dramatic entrance," Hank joked.

Rogue looked at Hank. "Oh. Uh, hi, Mr. McCoy."

"Hello, Marie."

Logan set her down. "What are you so happy about?"

Rogue giggled excitedly and thrust a paper into his hands. He read it silently to himself. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and a big smile came to his face. He looked up at Rogue.

"No fucking way," he said.

Rogue grinned and nodded. He took Rogue in his arms and hugged her tightly, lifting her off the floor as he did.

"Well?" Storm asked. "Which one is it?"

"My first choice," Rogue said with a huge smile. "NYU!"

Storm squealed. She gave Rogue a big hug. "Oh, honey. I am so proud of you!"

"Congratulations," Hank said. "You might want to look into the scholarship."

"What scholarship?" Rogue asked.

Storm handed her a pamphlet. "It's for mutant students."

"Really? That's awesome. Thank you."

"I'm sorry, I can't stay. I just wanted to stop by and drop those off to you."

"Well, we appreciate it, Hank," Storm said. "Let me walk you out."

Hank exchanged goodbyes with Rogue and Logan. Then he and Storm made their way outside. Rogue turned to Logan.

"Are you happy?" she asked.

"Are you?"

"I asked you first."

"Sweetheart, as long as you're happy, I'm happy."

"I am happy. I can't believe this is happening."

Logan pulled her in for a kiss. "My girl is going to NYU."

X

The phone rang. Logan quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sexy."

Logan smiled. "Hey, gorgeous. How's school?"

Rogue groaned. "I've got three papers to write."

"Three?"

"Yeah. Plus, I'm major stressed out about my finals."

"Sounds like you're having a great time," Logan joked.

"You're telling me. I'm gonna be home this weekend though."

"Great. I miss you."

"Aw, I miss you, too."

"I _really _miss you."

Rogue giggled. "Oh, there will be plenty of time for that."

Logan grinned. "That's what I wanted to hear."

"Yes, I do believe that Dr. Love prescribes sexual healing for cases of been-away-too-long."

Logan chuckled. "I don't know, Rogue. I think my case is pretty serious."

"Logan, nobody's ever died from lack-of-sex. If they did, online dating would be non-existent."

"You know, I could say something here, but I think it's better if we just drop this subject."

Rogue giggled. "Can I tell you something?"

"You love me?"

"Yes. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Well, I've got to go meet with my study group."

"OK, baby. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

Logan hung up the phone. He sighed happily and stretched out on his bed. He was about to drift off to sleep when there was a knock at the door. When he answered it, there was Kitty.

"What's going on?" Logan asked.

"You guys should consider phone sex," Kitty said.

"Kitty!"

Kitty giggled. "What? Rogue's my best friend. It's only right that we divulge the secrets of our sex lives to one another."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Is there something you need?"

"You left _this _on the kitchen counter." She held up a newspaper ad.

Logan's eyes widened. He pulled Kitty into the room and shut the door. "I'm warning you. You cannot tell _anyone _about it. Especially Rogue. It'll ruin everything."

"You could have let me in on this."

Logan started to pace the floor, wringing his hands. "I just…I'm still not sure about it."

"It doesn't seem like it. I just think that you're nervous."

Logan scoffed. "Right, like I really want to admit that to anyone."

"Have you guys talked this thing through?"

"Well, yeah. We have talked about it a few times." He sighed. "I've just been having these dreams at night. And this nagging little voice inside my head telling me 'Do it, Logan. Do it.' It's driving me crazy."

"Logan, you love Rogue and she loves you. What more do you need?"

Logan was silent for a moment. "I need you to go with me."

"What? Why?"

"Two reasons. A. You're Rogue's best friend and B. You know more about it than I do."

"Well, alright then."

"Good. Let's go."

"What, now?"

"Yes, now. I can't put this off. I know that I'm doing the right thing."

Without another word, Logan grabbed Kitty's wrist and they phased through the door. They walked downstairs and headed down the hall. They were almost at the front door when …

"Excuse me."

They stopped and turned to see Storm in the hallway.

"Where are you two going?" she asked.

"Out," Logan and Kitty chorused.

"Out where?"

"Shopping."

"Shopping for what?"

Kitty and Logan exchanged glances. Storm crossed her arms across her chest and she tapped her foot impatiently.

"Shopping for what?" Storm asked again, more sternly this time.

Logan cleared his throat. He mumbled something that Strom couldn't make out.

"What are you going shopping for?" she asked him.

Logan took a deep breath. This time, he said it without mumbling. Storm heard him loud and clear. There was no mistake to what Logan was saying.

"Rogue's engagement ring."


	16. Part 15

**I'm sorry about the delay. My laptop has been laid up with a virus. But everything is fine now, so on with the show!**

The moment that he and Kitty walked into the jewelry store, Logan considered turning around and walking out. The place that Kitty had taken him to was very sophisticated. He felt out of place, but he knew that this would be the best place to buy Rogue an engagement ring.

Logan saw a gray-haired man in a tailored suit. He took it that this was the salesman. The salesman saw Kitty and Logan and gave them a glance over.

"Did you see the way he looked at us?" Logan asked.

"Calm down," Kitty said.

The salesman walked over to them. "May I help you?"

"Yes," Kitty said. "We'd like to look at engagement rings."

The salesman nodded. "Anything…in particular?"

"Gold," Logan said.

Kitty turned to him. "You really think gold?"

Logan nodded. "Gold looks really good on her."

"Alright," the salesman said. "Size?"

"Uh…" Logan turned to Kitty for help.

"She can wear my rings," Kitty said. "Six and a half."

"Do you have a…price range?" the salesman asked.

The tone that the salesman had used started to piss Logan off. "No, I want to see everything," he said firmly.

The salesman raised an eyebrow at this. "This way," he said walking over to the display cases.

"I feel like a freaking idiot," Logan whispered to Kitty.

"Would you rather we go to Wal-Mart to buy Rogue's ring?" she asked. Logan shook his head. "Then relax, Logan."

They followed the salesman over to the display case. As the salesman talked about the fine distinctions of the rings, Logan looked them over, half paying attention. He came across _the_ ring. Rogue's ring.

"This one," Logan said.

Kitty looked over his shoulder. "Which one?" she asked. Logan pointed to it. "Oh, wow. That's beautiful."

"Are you sure you don't want to look at anything else, sir?" the salesman asked.

Logan stood up straight and looked the salesman in the eye. "No, I do _not_ want to look at anything else."

"All right, then," the salesman said with a fake smile. "I'll just…ring this up for you."

X

Logan opened the little, black velvet box. He stared at the ring he had bought for Rogue. The moment he saw it at the jewelry store, he knew that it would be the perfect one for her. It was a gold band with three Princess cut diamonds. He tilted the box forward and as the diamonds caught the light, they shined brilliantly. He had really surprised the salesman when he pulled out a wad of hundred dollar bills to pay for the ring.

Just then, Storm walked past his room. She stopped when she saw that Logan was gazing at the ring, yet again. With a sigh, she entered his room and waved her hand in front of his face. Logan looked up at her.

"What?" he asked.

"Put that thing away," Storm said. "You don't want someone to see it and blab to Rogue before you actually propose to her."

Logan looked at the ring one last time, then closed the box and put it into his pocket.

"I can't believe I'm gonna go through with this," Logan said.

"Are you nervous?" Storm said.

"You're just dying for me to say so, aren't you?"

"It's OK if you are."

Logan sighed. "Yes, I am. Incredibly. I don't remember ever being this way."

Storm put her hand on his shoulder. "You have nothing to worry about. Logan, Rogue is madly in love with you. You know that."

"Hey, um…there is something I need your help with."

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Well, I have this whole scheme set up for how I want to propose to her."

"I'm in. What do you have in mind?"

X

A yellow cab pulled up in front of the mansion. Rogue stepped out and took in the sight of the home she had been away from for the last four months. The driver took her bag from the trunk and handed it to her. She slung the bag over her shoulder and then paid the driver. She turned and walked into the mansion. When she entered, all was quiet.

"Hello?" Rogue called out. "Any signs of intelligent life?"

There were footsteps on the hardwood floor, headed in her direction. She turned and was surprised to see who it was; it was Bobby. They froze, both of them surprised to see the other. Rogue noticed that Bobby was wearing a Penn State sweatshirt. A long silence passed between them.

"Uh, hi," Bobby said finally.

"Hi," Rogue said.

Bobby glanced away. Another awkward silence passed between them. Then Bobby turned back to her.

"So, how's…uh…" he said.

"School?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'm doing well. How about you?"

Bobby shrugged. "I'm doing all right."

There was silence again.

"Well," Bobby said. "I should…go."

"Yeah," Rogue said. "See ya around."

Bobby left the room. Rogue breathed a sigh of relief. She made her way up the stairs to Logan's room. Her old room had been given to a new student. She set her bag down on the bed and started to unpack it. Just then, Logan came into the room and snuck up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. Rogue giggled.

"I thought I heard your voice," Logan said.

Rogue turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned in and kissed him passionately.

"Miss me?" Logan asked.

"Can't you tell?"

"Then we should make up for these last four months."

"I like the sound of that."

They were about to kiss again when… "Rogue!"

The two separated as Storm came into the room.

"Don't I get to say hi before you disappear with Logan?" she asked.

"Oh, terribly sorry," Rogue joked. She gave Storm a big hug.

"That's better," Storm said. "Oh, by the way. Logan, can you fix the light in the fridge before you guys get too involved?"

Logan groaned. "Do I have to do that _now_?"

"I've only been asking you for like the past two weeks."

Logan turned to Rogue. "Think you can wait?"

"I've waited four months," Rogue said. "A few more minutes won't kill me."

"Thank you," Storm said and she left the room.

"Wanna watch me change a light bulb?" Logan asked.

Rogue laughed. "Sure. It's better than watching paint dry."

"Smart ass."

They went downstairs to the kitchen. Rogue sat at the island while Logan went over to the fridge. He opened the fridge and the light did not come on. He sighed as he pushed the contents of the fridge aside.

"Can you get me a screwdriver?" he asked Rogue.

"Phillip's head or flat head?" Rogue asked as she got up from her seat.

"Flat. It's in the junk drawer. There should be a spare bulb in there, too."

Rogue went over to the junk drawer. Logan watched her as she did. She opened the drawer and froze. Sitting in the drawer among the odds and ends was the little black velvet box. She removed it and turned to Logan, giving him a questioning look. Logan came over to her, his heart pounding and his hands shaking. He took the box from her. Slowly, he dropped down to one knee.

"Oh, my God," Rogue said with wide eyes.

"Rogue," Logan said. "Will you marry me?" He opened the box to display the ring.

A whirlwind of emotions came over Rogue. She laughed nervously as tears of joy started to run down her cheeks. Her hands were clasped across her mouth.

Rogue nodded. "Yes," she said. "Yes, I will marry you."

Logan smiled. He removed the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. Then he stood up. Rogue gazed in awe at the ring on her finger, marveling at it. She looked up at Logan.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"Just like you," Logan said.

"So the light in the fridge doesn't need to be replaced? This was all a set up, right?"

Logan went over to the fridge. He reached inside and gave the light bulb a small twist. The light came on. Rogue laughed.

"Very clever," she said. "Storm was in on it?"

Logan nodded. "She wouldn't let Kitty and I leave until she knew where we were going and why."

"So, Kitty knew about this, too?"

"She went with me to pick out the ring."

Rogue smiled. She gave Logan a big hug.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you, too," he said.

"I think _now _would be a good time to make up for these last four months."

Logan grinned devilishly. "I'll race you upstairs."

X

"Logan, are you awake?"

Logan groaned. "I am now."

"I'm sorry."

Logan glanced at the clock. The glowing red numbers said one twenty-five am. When had he fallen asleep? "Is something wrong?"

Rogue rolled herself over to face him. "I was just thinking about some things. You know, now that we're…" She smiled. "Engaged."

"What kind of things?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just getting a little carried away here. In my mind, I'm making plans of what the wedding is going to be like."

Logan sat up. "Now, hold on there just a minute. There are others things that you should be worrying about before you even start to think about wedding plans."

"Like what?"

"Finishing school. Getting your degree. That's the _most_ important thing right now. I don't want anything to get in the way of that."

Rogue smiled. "Thanks, Logan. You saying that means a lot to me."

Logan kissed her forehead. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

As Logan settled himself down in the bed, he glanced out the window. "Rogue," he said.

"Yeah?"

"It's snowing."

Rogue propped herself up and looked out the window, watching the soft, white flakes falling quietly. She smiled. Logan pulled her close and the two watched the snowfall as they drifted off to sleep.


	17. Part 16

It was dark when Rogue's cab pulled up in front of the girl's dormitory at New York University. Sadly, her vacation had come to an end. It was very hard for her to say goodbye to everyone, and it was especially hard to leave her fiancée behind. She had to remind herself that this was what Logan wanted for her.

Rogue walked into the building. She crossed the lobby and took the elevator to the fourth floor. When she entered her room, her roommate was sitting at her computer.

"Hey, Marie," she said not taking her attention away from the computer.

"Hey, Celeste," Rogue said. "How was your vacation?"

"Same old same old. My mom tried to outdo my dad and my grandma sent me something I neither need nor want. What about you?"

"I got engaged."

Celeste turned around quickly in her chair. "He popped the question? It's about fucking time! Let me see the rock."

Rogue extended her hand to her. Celeste gazed in amazement at the ring.

"Whoa. That is gorgeous."

"Yeah. My man sure knows how to pick 'em, huh?"

"That he does." She let go of Rogue's hand.

"Hey, have you eaten yet?"

"Nope, I've been trying to help my mom solve her minor mid-life crisis."

"Good thing you're in psychology. Well, I was thinking about heading down to the dining hall. You wanna come?"

"Yeah, just let me finish up with my mom. Go ahead and I'll meet up with you."

"OK." Rogue headed for the door.

"Marie," Celeste called to her. Rogue stopped and turned. "Be careful."

"I'll be fine."

The doors of the hospital's emergency room slid open. Two teams of paramedics were met by a group of doctors.

"What do we have?" Dr. Smyth asked, examining the first patient.

"Marie D'Ancanto also known as Rogue," one paramedic said. "Age nineteen. She was attacked by a group of males. Possible left arm and rib fractures. Other than that, there are a few lacerations on her arms and face. Vitals are stable."

"What about him?" Dr. Smyth asked, looking over the other patient.

"Joshua Cross," another paramedic said. "Age twenty-one. He was one of the attackers. There appears to have been some seizure activity. He's in a state of comatose. Vitals are stable, so we really don't know what to do. We've never seen anything like this before."

"Were there any witnesses?"

"Yeah, Marie's roommate."

The doctor saw Celeste, standing at a distance and trying to see everything that they were doing.

"OK," the doctor said. "Get Josh to the ICU. I need X-rays for Marie."

Josh and Rogue were wheeled off in separate directions. Dr. Smyth walked over to Celeste.

"You're Marie's roommate?" Dr. Smyth asked.

"Yes. I'm Celeste Muchalillo. I witnessed it all. I can give a statement to the police."

"That's good. Right now though, I need you to tell me what Marie's powers are."

"When her skin comes into contact with another person's, she absorbs their life force. All their energy, their thoughts, their feelings get transferred over to her. If she absorbs a mutant, she can take over their powers."

"What happens to the person she absorbs?"

"She said the first guy she ever kissed ended up in a coma for like three weeks."

"Good to know. Stick around for a while. I may have some more questions for you."

Dr. Smyth walked away. Celeste dug around in her purse for spare change and her address book. She walked over to the pay phone, flipping through her book. When she found the number she was looking for, she dropped the change into the phone and dialed.

"Hello?" was the reply on the other end.

"Hi, is this Logan?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"My name is Celeste. I'm Rogue's roommate."

"Oh, right. What's up?"

"Well, I'm afraid that I've got some bad news."

"What's wrong?"

"Rogue is in the hospital. She was attacked."

"What hospital?"

"St. Vincent's."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

Twenty minutes later, Logan came rushing into the hospital. He paused for a moment and took a quick look around. Then he went to the receptionist's desk.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"I'm looking for Marie D'Ancanto," Logan said.

"Logan?"

He turned to see a tall, curly haired girl. "You're Celeste?"

"Yeah. How in the hell did you get here so fast? Traffic must be a nightmare."

Logan shrugged. "I have my ways."

"Good thing. Let's go."

She led him off down the hall.

"What exactly happened?" Logan asked.

"A bunch of guys ganged up on her, cat-calling and whatever. One of the guys grabbed her, so she sucked his energy out of him. When she let go, he fell. She took off running and the other guys chased her. She tripped and fell. That's when they started to beat her. I chased them off with the panic alarm on my key ring."

They went into Rogue's room. She was lying in her bed. As Logan looked at her, anger started to build inside him. Her left arm was in a cast and there were butterfly closures on a few of her cuts. Logan touched her hand and she flinched.

"Hey," Logan said gently. "It's OK. It's just me."

Rogue winced. "Ow. Don't do that again."

"How you feeling?" Celeste asked.

"I have a broken arm and bruised ribs," Rogue said. "How do you think I feel?"

Logan nodded. "Understandable. So whatta ya say we get you better quick and get the hell out of here?"

Rogue smiled. "I think that sounds like a good idea."

"You're gonna use your powers again?" Celeste asked. Rogue nodded. "I don't get it. How is absorbing him going to help you?"

"I told you," Rogue said. "Logan has quick healing powers."

"Be warned," Logan said. "I'm not gonna be myself once she sucks me."

Rogue giggled. "Nice way to put it, sweetie."

Celeste laughed. "I think they call that a Freudian slip."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Do you want to get out of here or not?"

"Yes," Rogue said. "So kiss me, you fool."

Logan leaned in and kissed her. As they kissed, Celeste watched as Rogue's cuts started to heal. Then Logan pulled away. He stumbled backwards and Celeste caught him. She helped him to sit down on the floor. He was hyperventilating.

"My God," Celeste said. "I didn't know it was going to be that involved."

"He'll be fine in a few minutes," Rogue said.

She threw the covers off and got out of bed. She pulled the butterfly closures from where the cuts had once been. Then she went over to Logan and bent down to his level. She extended her arm.

"Would you mind?" she asked.

Logan popped out one claw. He carefully ran it across her cast. A shake of her arm and the cast fell off. She inspected her arm. That's when Logan noticed it.

"Where is your ring?" he demanded.

"Baby, they had to take it off to put the cast on," Rogue said.

Celeste reached into her pocket and produced the ring. "It's right here." She handed it to Rogue. She slid the ring back onto her finger.

"Back where it belongs," Logan said.


	18. Part 17

**Sorry about the wait on the update. I've been having problems with my computer, which I'm hoping to resolve VERY soon.**

Once they had convinced the doctor that Rogue was better, she was released from the hospital. Before they released her, however, the doctor ordered another x-ray. When it came back with no sign of Rogue ever being hurt, the doctor was baffled, but he let Rogue go. She changed back into her street clothes and Logan signed her release forms. Then they were out the door, headed back to the university.

Rogue was still a little shaken up from her ordeal, so she asked Logan to stay the night with her. With no objections from Celeste and a quick sign in with the R.A., they made a quick phone call to Storm and then settled down for some much needed sleep.

Rogue's alarm sounded at eight fifteen the next morning. She silenced it at once. After she wiped the sleep from her eyes, she saw that Celeste had already left. She felt a shift next to her in the bed. She looked over and watched Logan as he woke.

"Morning," Rogue said.

Logan looked up at her. "Morning."

"I should get ready to go."

"Will you be all right?"

Rogue nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Ya know," Logan said as he trailed his fingers across her bare arm. "You could always ditch class. Stay here. With me."

Rogue grinned. "Am I hearing you correctly? You - the one who is so concerned about my college life - is telling me that I should cut class?"

Logan smiled at her. "I can't responsible all the time. It'll kill my reputation."

Rogue laughed. "Well, even though your offer is _far _more enticing, I'm afraid that I will have to respectfully decline."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Baby, it's the first day of the new semester. If I don't go, I'm gonna miss some important information."

"But just think about what you'll miss if you go."

"I'm sure that we'll survive."

She threw the covers off and got out of bed. She barely took two steps before Logan grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back down onto the bed, and before Rogue knew it, he had her pinned to the bed.

"Logan!" Rogue shrieked. "This is not funny. Let me up."

"It's not supposed to be funny," Logan said. "It's supposed to be sexy."

"I'm telling you; there is nothing you can say or do to convince me to stay."

"Babe, I think you've underestimated my powers of persuasion."

With that, Logan started to kiss her neck. He trailed the kisses down her neck, and it was then that Rogue realized Logan's plan. He was headed for her "sweet spot." The spot that, when kissed, drove her crazy (and in a good way!).

Logan hooked a finger underneath the strap of Rogue's slinky nightgown and slid it down off of her shoulder. As soon as his lips hit her "sweet spot," she closed her eyes and let a small whimper escape her.

"No fair," she said, almost breathless.

She felt Logan's lips curve into a smile against her skin. "All is fair in love and war," he said. Then he lowered his voice. "Stay with me."

Rogue shook her head. "I can't."

"Yes, you can. You'll only miss your first class. Promise."

It only took a moment more for Rogue to give in. With one quick move, she managed to shift roles. Logan was now pinned to the bed.

"What are you doing?" Logan asked her.

"Listen, bub," Rogue said. "If I'm missing class for this, I'm gonna be in charge. Got it?"

"Whatever you say, darling."

"Good. We've two hours. Let's get started."

X

After escorting Rogue to her second class of the day, Logan headed back to the mansion. His vehicle of choice had been Scott's old motorcycle. When Celeste had called him, he knew that the motorcycle was the only vehicle in the garage that could get him there fast. On the drive home though, he took it a little slower.

By the time he got back to the mansion, classes were done for the day. He entered the mansion and immediately headed for the kitchen. He found Storm there, standing at the sink, washing dishes.

"I was wondering when you were gonna get back," she said.

"I decided to stay a little longer," Logan said as he opened the fridge.

Storm smirked. "Yeah, I'll bet." She finished rinsing the last dish and set on the counter to dry. "Have you thought about what you're gonna do for her birthday?"

"Not really." Logan shut the fridge. "I don't even know what to get her."

"Well, she has told me that back in Mississippi, she used to go out and…"

"I am _not _doing that."

"It'll make her happy."

"No. There is no well in hell. I wouldn't be caught dead in a place like that."

"Oh, please! It's not that bad."

"I'm not going to go there and make a complete ass of myself."

Storm laughed. "You can learn about it before you go."

Logan sighed. "I'll think about it. But I am _not_ gonna wear a hat."

"I think you would look good in a hat."

Just then, the phone rang. Storm answered it.

"Hello?" she said. "Oh, hey, Rogue."

"Gimme the phone," Logan said, extending his hand.

"So how was your first day of classes?"

"Gimme the phone."

"Really? That's sounds very interesting."

"Storm!"

"OK, I'll let you talk to Logan now. Talk to you later." Storm covered the receiver with her hand. "My God, Logan. You sound just like a teenager."

She handed the phone to Logan and he shooed her out of the kitchen.

X

He didn't know. Nobody in the mansion knew. They were being watched. From a van parked just beyond the school's grounds, a young man and a young woman were spying on them. The young man wore a headset, listening in on Logan's phone conversation. He made a face.

"Ugh," he said. "I can't stand the way those two talk to each other. It's sickening."

"Why don't you let me listen for a while?" The young women reached for the headset. The young man grabbed her wrist.

"Listen here, chick," he said. "You are the lookout. That means I get to listen. Understand?"

She stared at him coldly before pulling her hand away. "I don't see the point of this. It could take years before this whole thing plays out."

"But it will play out."

"Even so…"

He pulled the headset off. "Look, this is the way he wants things done, all right? If you're having doubts about it, you're free to leave."

"Who said anything about leaving? What are you guys gonna do without me?"

He thought for a moment. He shrugged. "Yeah, whatever." He started the van. "Let's get back to the base."


	19. Part 18

**Still trying to fix my computer problems. In the meantime, read on!**

Logan messed it up again. He groaned as he went over to stop the CD player. Then there was a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said.

The door opened and Storm stepped into the room. She was dressed in a light blue tank top and pajama pants.

"Logan," she said. "Do you mind? The rest of us are trying to sleep."

"I can't get this one," Logan said. "It's just too fast."

"Well, midnight is not the time to be practicing your…"

Logan looked at her. "Midnight?" He checked his watch. It was less than a minute until midnight. "Damn, I've gotta call Rogue."

"Logan…"

"Alright, I'll stop it with the practice."

"Thank you." Storm turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Logan picked up the phone and dialed the number to Rogue's dorm. It was midnight before the phone was answered on the other end.

"Hello?" Rogue said when she answered.

"Is there a birthday girl there?"

Rogue giggled. "You remembered!"

"Of course. What kind of fiancée do you think I am?"

"The one who actually remembers the important dates?"

"Speaking of dates, you do remember that I'm taking you out?"

"Yes, I remembered. I've got my schedule clear. You still haven't told me where we're going."

"I can't tell you that. It's a surprise. Just trust me."

"Alright, whatever you say."

"I'll pick you up around six-thirty, OK?"

"OK, sounds good."

"Alright, babe. I'll let you go get some sleep."

"Bye, sweetie. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Then they hung up.

X

"You didn't tell him," Celeste said and she took another drag from her cigarette.

Rogue looked over at her. "What's there to tell?"

"Marie, Logan has to know about it."

Rogue sighed. "I wouldn't even know what to say to him."

"I have our entire conversation on tape, ready to hand in to my psychology professor. Would you like me to make you a copy?"

"Celeste!"

"Marie, it's not as bad as it seems. Just tell him what you're feeling."

Rogue looked at Celeste. "I really hate living with a psychology major."

Celeste laughed. "That's OK. Deep down, I know you really like me."

"All right, I'll tell him; but after tonight. I don't want anything to ruin this big surprise he has for me."

Just then, Logan pulled up in front of the dormitory. Rogue turned to Celeste.

"Alright," she said. "I guess I'll see you on Sunday."

"Have fun," Celeste said.

Rogue stood up from the bench she was sitting on. She walked over and got into the car with Logan. They greeted each other with a long kiss.

"Happy birthday," Logan said when they parted.

"Thank you," Rogue said.

Then Logan shoved his hand into the pocket of his jacket. He withdrew a blindfold, which he handed to Rogue.

"I hope this isn't the surprise you were talking about," Rogue said.

Logan chuckled. "Just put the blindfold on so I can take you to where the surprise is."

Rogue put the blindfold on. "OK, can't see anything. Let's go."

X

"We're here," Logan said as he parked the car.

"Can I take the blind fold off now?" Rogue asked.

"Yeah, go for it."

Rogue took the blindfold off and looked around. They were in the parking lot of a dance hall. She was confused untilshe saw what it said on the sign. A smile broke out on her face and she turned to Logan.

"Country line dancing?" she asked.

Logan nodded. Rogue threw her arms around him.

"Thank you!" she yelled.

"You're welcome," Logan said. "I was hoping you'd like it. I've spent the last few weeks learning how to do it."

"No way!"

"Yes, way. Ask Storm, she'll tell you." Rogue giggled. "_And_, I figured that if you're gonna dance, you might need these."

He reached into the back seat and grabbed a brightly wrapped gift. He handed it to Rogue and she tore the paper off. She lifted the lid off of the box and discovered a pair of black cowgirl boots inside.

"You like them?" Logan asked.

"Yes," Rogue said as she took off her shoes to put her new boots on. "This is an awesome present, Logan."

"Good, I'm glad."

When she had her new boots on, the two of them got out of the car and walked into the dance hall.

X

"Alright," the DJ said when the song ended. "We're gonna slow things down a bit for all you couples out there. Here's Billy Currington's Must Be Doing Something Right."

Logan pulled Rogue in close and they slow danced with the other couples on the floor. The two of them locked eyes as they swayed to the music.

"How many times have I thanked you since we got here?" Rogue asked.

Logan shrugged. "I don't know. I lost count."

Rogue giggled. "Well, I don't think I've said it enough. You have no idea how much this means to me, Logan."

Logan smiled. Rogue got in closer, resting her head on his chest as they continued to dance. Suddenly, Logan heard Rogue gasp. He pulled away from her a little and she stood frozen, staring into space.

"Rogue, what is it?" Logan asked.

Rogue turned to look at him. "Nothing. I just thought I saw…" Her voice trailed off.

"What? Who?"

Rogue closed her eyes and shook her head. "Nothing."

"Doesn't seem like nothing."

Rogue grabbed Logan's hand and pulled him over to an out-of-the-way spot.

"I keep getting the feeling that I'm being followed," Rogue said.

"By who?" Logan asked curiously.

"I don't know. It's familiar, but I can't place it."

Logan took a look around the dance hall. "I think we should leave."

"What? Why?"

"I'll explain it in the car."

He grabbed Rogue's hand and led her out to the parking lot. They got into the car and they drove off.

"Where are we going?" Rogue asked.

"Back to the mansion. That was the plan for tonight anyway, right?"

"Yeah."

They drove in silence for a little ways.

"How long has it been going on?" Logan asked her, not taking his eyes off of the road.

Rogue looked over at him. "What do you mean?"

"How long have you been having this feeling of being followed?""

Rogue shrugged. "I don't know. About a week, I guess. Why?"

"I've been feeling like there's someone following me, too."

"Do you think that someone _could _be following us?"

"Babe, I've come to learn that anything is possible."

"I'm sorry we had to cut our date short."

"Hey, your safety is more important to me."

Logan took Rogue's hand in his, their fingers interlocked. Another long silence passed between them.

"Logan," Rogue said finally. "Pull the car over."

Logan glanced over at her. "What?"

"I need to tell you something and it would be better if I had your full attention."

"Oh. Yeah, OK."

Logan pulled the car over to the side of the road. He put the car in park and turned his body to face her, giving her his full attention. Rogue took a deep breath before turning to face him.

"You know how I usually get my…you know, around the thirteenth of every month?"

Logan nodded. "You mean your period."

"Yeah. Well, it uh…didn't come on the thirteenth."

Logan looked at her curiously. "Are you…?"

Rogue sighed. She turned away from him and she shook her head. "I got it this morning."

"Oh."

Rogue turned back to him. "I wanted to be, though. I wasn't scared of it being late. I was actually excited at the thought that I might be. When I was little, people would see me playing with my doll babies and they would say to me, 'you're gonna be a great mommy some day.'"

"I wouldn't doubt that for one second."

"Logan, you remember that day when you asked me if I saw babies in my future?" Logan nodded. "The answer is yes. A thousand times yes. I wanna have a whole mini-van full."

Logan laughed. "Well, I don't know about a mini-van full, but we'll see what we can do."


	20. Part 19

**I had been struggling to get these chapters done in time for Christmas, but got busy with everything. Anyways, hope you enjoy! Happy holidays, everyone!**

A dark blue van pulled up in front of an abandoned warehouse. It was the same van that had been following Logan and Rogue around for the last two months. The young man and the young woman climbed out of the van and walked into the building. They walked down a long, narrow hallway until they reached a room where an office had once been. The young man knocked on the door.

"Come in," was the reply.

They went inside and closed the door behind them. Inside the room was an old man sitting behind a desk. They stood before him, waiting for the old man to speak. He finally stood and addressed them.

"Did I not tell you two how important it was to keep your distance?" the old man asked.

"We thought…" the young girl started to say.

"You thought wrong," the old man said, cutting her off. "I have told you that everything must be just so before we move in. Now they are having suspicions. That is not good for us." The old man paced the room. "We must not give them any indication that we are watching them. From now on, you will do nothing but listen to their conversations. I trust you have everything that you will need in the van, am I correct?"

"Yes, sir," the young man said.

"Good," the old man said and he sat down again. "Then leave me."

They turned and left the room. As they left, another woman entered the room. The old man looked up at this woman and smiled.

"I like that look on you," he said.

The woman smiled back at him. She sauntered over to him and sat on the edge of his desk. "You seem troubled," she said.

The old man sighed. "Of all the people I once had on my side, those two _teenagers_ are the only ones that came back to me."

She looked hurt. "Ahem…"

"And you, of course." He patted her hand. "I knew I could count on you."

"Even though I was a back-stabbing bitch?"

The old man waved his hand. "Water under the bridge now. I turned my back on you, you turned yours on me; it was only fair." The old man got up from his seat and walked to the door. "Care to join me for a game of chess?"

X

**Three years later…**

Storm walked hastily down the hallway, her dress swirling about her ankles. She was multi-tasking, trying to put her earrings on as she walked. When she reached Logan's room, she knocked on the door. "Hurry up," she said. "We're going to be late."

The door opened and Logan stepped out. He was dressed in a nice pair of jeans, a light blue, buttoned down shirt and a navy colored blazer. Storm looked at him in total shock.

"Wow," she said. "You sure clean up nice."

"Well, enjoy it while you can," Logan said. "You'll never see me this dressed up ever again."

"Except on your wedding day," Storm pointed out.

"Yeah. Now, c'mon. Let's get going."

The two of them headed down the stairs.

"I still don't know how you got those guys to baby-sit for us," Logan said.

"Well, they did say that we could call them if we ever needed anything."

Logan smirked. "Somehow, I don't think this is what they meant when they said _anything_."

Storm smiled. "But they didn't object when I asked them. They were more than happy to do it for us."

Then, in a puff of smoke, Nightcrawler appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey, Kurt," Storm said.

He turned to her and held a finger up to his lips. "Quiet, please. I am hiding."

"From who?"

"The children. We are playing a game. They call it 'Man Hunt'."

"Are you sure that you and Warren can handle this?"

"It will be no problem at all, Miss Storm. Please tell Miss Rogue that I congratulate her."

"Will do," Logan said.

Then Nightcrawler disappeared in the same puff of smoke.

X

"Whoever came up with this idea should be shot," Rogue said as she adjusted her mortarboard cap on her head.

"I agree," Celeste said, smoothing out her violet colored gown. "We haven't suffered enough, now we have to wear the stupid cap and gown. I say, just give us the damn degrees and be done with it."

Rogue giggled. "Yes, but we wouldn't want to deprive our loved ones of cheering for us as we walk down the aisle."

"Or of getting all teary-eyed and saying over and over how proud they are."

"Or of giving us cards loaded with cash."

"Oh, no! We most certainly would not want to deprive them of that!"

The girls laughed.

"Speaking of which," Celeste said. "Logan _is _coming, right?"

Rogue nodded. "_And _you get to meet Storm."

"Cool," Celeste said. "But what about…"

"Miss Muchalillo."

They turned to see one of the faculty members coming towards them.

"You do not belong in the A through J," she said. "Please return to the K through Z. We are going to be starting soon."

Celeste rolled her eyes. She gave Rogue a hug before going off to take her place in the line.

A few minutes later, the graduates filed into the school's auditorium. Rogue scanned the crowd for Logan and Storm, but the girl behind her kept nudging her forward and she wasn't able to get a good look. All of the students walked in a single file line, and when their name was called, they walked up on stage, received their certificates and shook hands with the prestigious faculty members. Then they crossed to the other side of the stage and went to sit in the area that had been designated for the graduates.

When Rogue sat down, she turned around in her seat and continued to search for Logan and Storm. She finally spotted them. She saw them, but she knew that they didn't see her. This was one of the time's that she wished she was a telepath. She kept her eyes on them, hoping that one of them would look her way. Fortunately, Logan glanced her way and she was able to catch his eye. He smiled at her and she smiled back. Then Logan signed to her. Rogue had taken an American Sign Language course in school and had taught it to Logan. They used it when they couldn't talk to one another aloud.

Logan signed four words to her; "I like your hat." Rogue could tell from the expression on his face that he was teasing her. She glared at him and then gave him a universal sign by popping him the finger. Logan chuckled and signed, "Later." Rogue responded with a grin and signed, "Promise?" Logan nodded.

Just then, Storm tapped him on the shoulder. Logan leaned over to whisper to her as he pointed to Rogue. Storm looked over at Rogue and waved to her. Rogue waved back at her. Storm went back to listening to the speaker. Logan signed for Rogue to, "Turn around." They flashed the "I love you" sign to each other before Rogue turned around in her seat to face front.

When the speakers were finished talking about the enormous accomplishment and the future, the dean asked the graduates to stand. It was then that they switched their tassels. A few of the graduates, including Rogue, took off their hats and tossed them into the air in the high school fashion.

After retrieving her cap, Rogue pushed her way through the crowd. She found Celeste and her family and after a round of hugs, congratulations and a "keep in touch", Rogue went off to search for Logan and Storm. With all the graduates milling around with their family members, she had lost sight of them.

"Marie!"

When she turned, Rogue saw a dark-haired couple walking towards her. A big smile came to her face. She rushed over to them and they had a big group hug. Then Rogue took a step back.

"I can't believe you guys came!" she exclaimed.

"Are you kidding?" the man said. "We wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Rogue."

They all turned to see Logan and Storm approaching.

"Don't we get an introduction?" Logan asked, as he draped an arm across her shoulders.

"Of course," Rogue said with a smile.

"No, let me guess," the woman said. "Logan and Ororo." Rogue nodded.

"Now let me make a guess," Logan said. "Mary and Leonard."

"That would be correct," Mary said.

Storm scratched her head. "I'm still confused."

"Storm," Rogue said. "These are my parents."

Storm's eyes widened. "Oh, wow. I didn't know that you were in contact with one another."

"Well," Rogue said. "I really wanted them to be here for my graduation. So, about a month ago, I wrote them a letter and asked if they would come."

"That's not all she wrote," Mary explained. "The letter was ten pages long, front and back."

"I have an idea," Logan said. "Why don't you guys come to dinner with us?"

"Where are we going?" Rogue asked.

"Oh, I just got us a reservation at…the Hard Rock Café."

"Are you freaking kidding me? You're awesome!" Rogue gave Logan a big hug.

"Decide quick," Storm said to Mary and Leonard. "If we're not there by eight, they'll give our table away."

Mary turned to her husband. "Lenny, what do you say?"

"What are we standing around here for?" Leonard asked. "Let's go!"

X

Rogue's family reunion continued when they were seated at the table in the Hard Rock Café. Mary had explained that Leonard had wanted to buy an RV and go cross-country to search for Rouge, but that she had talked him of it, saying that Rogue might someday return to their house. Rogue told them how grateful she was that they had decided to stay in the house. If they hadn't, the letter might never have gotten to them.

"Well," Mary said, grabbing her purse off the back of her chair. "I think I'm going to go use the ladies' room before our food comes."

"I'll go with you," Storm said.

"Yeah," Rogue said. "Me, too."

As the three of them stood, a slight panic came over Logan. They were going to leave him there alone with Rogue's father. Rogue must have sensed his fear, for she leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"You'll be fine," she whispered to him before turning and following the others to the ladies' room.

Logan and Leonard sat in silence for a few moments, both taking an occasional sip at their beers.

"So," Leonard said at last. "Marie has told us a lot about you."

Logan nodded. "She's told me a lot about you, too."

"When is the wedding?"

"September."

"That's only four months away."

"Well, she wanted to have it before the new school year started. We've been doing a little planning here and there."

"And you're going to live at the mansion?"

Logan nodded. "She's really set on teaching there. Just kinda giving back to the school."

"Now, I've been told you don't know too much about your past, so I'm curious to know what Marie's last name is going to be."

"Johnson. It's what I've been using on all of my formal documents."

They were silent for a few moments.

"If you don't mind," Logan said. "I'd like to cut through all the third degree stuff and just be honest with you."

"OK," Leonard said.

Logan leaned in closer. "Mr. D'Ancanto, I love your daughter. Seven years ago, I could have just left her on the side of the road and drove off, never to see her again. But I didn't. And from that point on, much of my life revolved around her. Before I met your daughter, I was living life day-by-day. I wasn't sure of anything. With her in my life, everything just seems to make sense."

Leonard was silent as he took in everything that Logan had just said. Then he looked at Logan and smiled. "Logan, two thirds of Marie's letter was about you. She included everything from the time you met onward. I know how much she loves you and I can only imagine the love you feel for her. So, if you're seeking my approval, you have it. I will be giving her away in September and I know that I can trust you to take good care of her."

Logan smiled. Leonard extended his hand and he shook it.


	21. Part 20

Logan entered the common room. It was the only place in the entire mansion that wasn't inhabited by students at the moment. He looked over his shoulder to make double sure that he was alone. He didn't want anybody to see what he was about to do and in a school like this, even the walls had ears. Once he was sure that all was clear, he pulled a small bottle of rum from his pocket. He wasn't sure about the last time he had had the hard stuff, but he was in desperate need of it now.

He unscrewed the cap and was about to put it to his lips when Kitty dropped out from the ceiling. Logan whirled around and hid the bottle behind his back.

"Where have you been?" Kitty demanded. "I've been looking all over for you."

As Rogue's best friend, Kitty had declared herself the unofficial wedding planner. She helped keep track of everything and everybody.

"I just needed to get away for a bit," Logan replied.

"Uh huh, and what do you have behind your back?"

"Nothing."

"If you don't show me what you're hiding, I will reach my hand through your stomach and take it from you. Trust me, it's not a pleasant feeling."

Logan sighed. He brought his hands forward and revealed the bottle to her. Kitty grabbed it from him.

"What did we tell you earlier?" she asked.

Logan groaned and plopped himself down on the couch. He shut his eyes tightly and rubbed his forehead.

"I can't have hard liquor and I can't have sex," Logan said. "Well, you'd better give me something because my nerves are shot."

"Logan, if you can make it through the next few hours, you can have all those things that you're being deprived of. You've gotten through the rehearsal dinner. Tomorrow's the big day."

"I am really stressed out right now. I'm running here and there, making sure this, that and the other thing are _perfect_."

Then Hank entered the room. "Excuse me," he said. "I need to borrow our groom to be."

"For what?" Logan asked.

Hank took Logan's hand. "Your bachelor party, of course." Then he pulled Logan to his feet and led him out of the room.

"No strippers!" Kitty called after them. "You guys promised!"

X

"Are you sure this is waterproof?" Rogue asked.

"Positive," Storm said as she applied Rogue's eyeliner. "I doubt you'll cry, but if you do, we don't want your makeup to run."

"And we've made sure Logan has tissues in his pocket," Jubilee said. "Just in case."

"Are you nervous?" Kitty asked.

"Incredibly," Rogue replied.

"Makeup's done," Storm said.

"Good," Kitty said. "Let's get the veil on."

She grabbed the veil from Rogue's bed where it had been laid out. She set it on Rogue's head and the others helped arrange it. Then Rogue got up and looked at herself in the full-length mirror while the girls admired her.

"You look beautiful," Jubilee said.

"I feel beautiful," Rogue said.

"OK," Kitty said. "Let's go over the checklist. Something old."

"My bracelet."

"Something new."

"My hairclips."

"Something borrowed."

"I have my mom's earrings."

"Something blue."

Rogue grinned. "My panties."

The girls giggled.

"Alright," Storm said. "I guess you're ready."

Rogue took a deep breath. "Ready as I'll ever be."

There was a knock on the door and Mrs. D'Ancanto stuck her head in. "C'mon, girls. It's time."

The girls gathered up their bouquets and headed down the stairs. The wedding was to take place in the courtyard of the mansion. They girls lined themselves up at the back door. Rogue's father came and stood beside her. They linked arms and he gave a little pat on her arm.

"I know you must be nervous," he said to her. "But there is nothing to fear."

_Easy for you to say _Rogue thought, but she knew that he was right. After all, he had gotten married himself.

Rogue knew what fear was. She had fled from a burning vehicle about to explode, been kidnapped, eluded an invasion on the mansion, been flung from a nose-diving X-jet in midair, and survived being jumped. The wedding would be a piece of cake compared to the other things she had gone through. Still, her stomach filled with butterflies.

The wedding march started to play. They started their procession down the steps of the mansion and down the aisle. The attendees, made up of most of the school's student body, all stood and watched as they made their way down the aisle. Occasionally, a camera's flash would go off.

When Jubilee, Kitty and Storm reached the altar, they took their respected places off to the side and across from Warren, Kurt and Hank. Then Rogue and father stopped just before the altar. Mr. D'Ancanto lifted Rogue's veil and gave her a kiss on the cheek before Logan stepped in. Mr. D'Ancanto took a seated next to his wife. Logan and Rogue linked arms and stood in front of the priest.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" the priest asked.

"Her mother and I do," Mr. D'Ancanto replied.

The priest opened a small, black leather bound book and began the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved," the priest said. "We live in a world today that is plagued with hatred and despair. How blessed are we that we find Marie and Logan standing before us, filled with love for one another, ready to pledge their love through the sacrament of holy matrimony."

Rogue glanced over at Logan as he swiped a hand across his cheek. Was he crying? She had never seen Logan cry before. Ever. Storm had told her that she saw Logan cry once, but Rogue herself had never seen it. And these were happy, joyful tears.

"And now," the priest said. "If there are any here who have reason that these two should not be married, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

There was silence.

"Please join hands," the priest said. Rogue handed her bouquet to Storm and held hands with Logan. "Do you, Logan, take Marie to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad times, for as long as you both shall live?"

Logan gave Rogue's hand a little squeeze. "I do," he replied. He and Rogue smiled at each other.

"And do you, Marie, take Logan to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad times, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Rogue replied.

"May we have the rings?" the priest asked.

Hank took the rings from his pocket and held them out in the palm of his furry blue hand. Logan and Rogue each took a ring. Logan placed the ring on Rogue's finger and Rogue did the same for Logan.

"And so," the priest said. "By the power invested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you man and wife." He turned to Logan. "You may now kiss your bride."

Logan took Rogue in his arms and they shared their first kiss as a married couple. The attendees clapped and cheered. One person every whistled.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the priest said. "I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Logan Johnson."


	22. Part 21

"I hate you," Rogue said as she unpacked her suitcase.

"Me?" Logan asked. "What did I do?"

"You didn't get a sunburn and I did!"

Logan chuckled. "Don't blame me. I told you to put on sunscreen." He touched a finger to her arm and watched as the pale spot turned back to red. Rogue pulled her arm away.

"Glad you're enjoying that," she said. "It hurts."

"I'm sorry," Logan said. He gently put an around her and pulled her closer. "Tell you what, after we put everything away, I'll rub some aloe on your back."

Rogue smirked. "You'll find any excuse to get my shirt off, won't you?"

"Damn straight." He leaned in and gave her a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Rogue breathed a happy little sigh as she looked around the room. "It sure feels good to be home again."

Logan agreed. Their honeymoon in Hawaii lasted for two weeks, and even though they enjoyed themselves, they were happy to resume their semi-normal lives at the mansion.

"Well, Mrs. Johnson," Logan said. "I'm gonna go to the kitchen and find myself a snack. You want anything?"

Rogue giggled. Logan had been calling her "Mrs. Johnson" since the wedding. She liked it, and she would have to adjust to her new last name, being that this is what her students were going to call her.

Rogue shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm fine."

Logan left the room, passing Kitty on his way out. She came into the room and sat down on the bed.

"So," Kitty said. "Now that you're married, what's next for you guys?"

Rogue turned to face her and put her hands on her hips. "You're not gonna start bugging me for a niece or nephew, are you?"

Kitty laughed. "Ah, you know me all too well. Yeah, I know that you've only been married for two weeks…"

"Fifteen days, to be exact."

"OK, fifteen days. But, damn it, I wanna see you guys have a baby!"

Rogue grabbed Kitty's arm and led her to the door. "Kindly stop nagging me about babies, and maybe, in the not-too-distant future, I'll have one."

Kitty smiled. "Fine, I'll leave it alone. For now." She started to walk away, but then turned back. "Ya know, I _am_ in my residency now. I could help you during the birth."

"Kitty!"

"Alright, alright. I'm going."

She left. Rogue continued to unpack her suitcase. She came across the snow globe that she had bought on the trip. She shook it up and placed it on the dresser. She watched it as the golden glitter swirled around a beach backdrop.

Then Logan came back into the room with a bowl of cereal. He nudged the door shut with his foot.

"What are you eating?" Rogue asked.

"Lucky Charms," Logan replied. "It's the only sugary thing I could find. So, what did Dr. Kitty have to say?"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Same thing I've been getting from all the other girls. They all want us to get going on the baby-making."

"Well, you did say you wanted a mini-van full."

Rogue laughed, recalling that moment. "Yeah. But I don't want everybody nagging us to do it. These things take time."

Logan set his bowl down on the dresser. "So what's preventing us from starting right now?"

Rogue bit her lip. "Well, in a way, we've already started."

Logan cocked an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?"

"I have a secret."

"I'm listening."

"I stopped taking my birth control pills the night before our wedding."

Logan blinked. "Rogue, why didn't you tell me? I mean, you could be pregnant right now."

Rogue shook her head. "I doubt it. The pills take about a month to work their way out my system. Ya know, I've never really asked you how you felt about us having a baby."

Logan chuckled. "Honestly, when I think about becoming a parent, it scares the hell out of me."

Rogue smiled. "I think you'd be able to handle it. You're a tough guy."

"Well, let this tough guy get serious for a moment. I do want to have a baby with you."

"So, should we continue our baby-making?"

"Hell yeah. Making the baby is the fun part, right?"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'll remember that when I go into labor."

X

A few months later… 

Logan knew that today was going to be another one of those days. Storm didn't need a sub and nothing in the mansion was in need of a fix…yet. On days like these, Logan became the unofficial hall monitor. He roamed the mansion, making sure the students were where they were supposed to be.

Logan stopped short when he picked up on a student in the hallway. He identified the student and knew that this student didn't belong in the hallway. As he turned the corner, Logan came face-to-face with the ten-year old boy.

"What are you doing here?" Logan asked him.

"Nothing," the student replied.

"Aren't you supposed to be in Mrs. Johnson's English class right now?"

"Mrs. Johnson canceled class for today."

Logan eyed him suspiciously. "Are you lying to me?"

The boy shook his head. "I swear. Mrs. Johnson showed up like twenty minutes late. We almost left, but then she came into the room. She apologized and told us that we'll pick up the lesson tomorrow."

"So, if we go by Mrs. Johnson's room, we'll find it empty?"

The boy nodded. "See for yourself."

The boy led Logan to where Rogue's classroom was. They peered through the window and saw that the room was empty.

"See?" the boy said. "I told you so."

"Hey, kid. Don't get smart with me."

"I'm sorry."

"You can go. Just remember, there are other classes going on."

"Yes, sir."

The boy turned and walked away. Logan went off to find Storm. He knew that this was her free class, so he went to her room. Her door was open and he went in, finding Storm sitting on her bed with her nose stuck in a book.

"Do you know where Rogue is?" Logan asked.

"Nice to see you, too." Storm looked up from her book and checked her watch. "It's ten forty-five, Logan," she said. "Rogue's with her English class."

Logan shook his head. "No, she's not. I just saw one of her students walking around. I asked him why he wasn't in class and he said that Rogue showed up late. Then all she did was dismiss them."

Storm gave him a puzzled look. "That's not like her. She isn't sick or anything, is she?"

"No, not that I know of."

"Maybe she is. You should go check your room."

"Yeah, I think I will. I'll let you know."

Logan turned and left the room.

X

"Kitty, will please calm down?" Rogue asked

"Calm down?" Kitty asked. "How could you possibly ask me to calm down at a time like this? Do you have any idea how major this is?"

"Yes, I do," Rogue said. "But if you keep carrying on like that, Logan will find out that…"

"Logan will find out what?"

The girls turned to see Logan standing in the doorway. Kitty looked at Rogue and then looked back at Logan.

"I think I'll be leaving now," Kitty said.

She got up and walked out of the room. Logan shut the door behind her. Then he came over to where Rogue was sitting on the bed and sat down beside her.

"Everything OK?" he asked her.

Rogue nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Because you canceled your class this morning, that's why."

"I wasn't feeling well."

"But you were fine last night."

"Yeah, well, it came on all of the sudden. I asked Kitty what she thought I should do. She gave me a little check up. She said that I have a little bug and that it'll go away on it's own."

"Did she say how long it would take for you to get better?"

"About…nine months."

Logan stared at her for a moment. "Say that again?"

"I'll be better in nine months."

Logan smiled playfully. "Nine months, huh?"

Rogue smiled back at him. "Yup, that's what she said."

"I think that's kind of funny."

"Why? Why is that funny?"

"Well, when I take into consideration the type of medicine that Kitty is specializing in, and the time she said it will take you to get better, I'm starting to think that you've got a secret."

"It's more of a surprise really."

"Yeah, and I know where you hid it, too." He lifted the hem of Rogue's shirt and ran his hand across her stomach. "Did I guess right?"

Rogue giggled. "Yup, you are a winner in my little game."

"Really? Do I get a prize?"

"Yeah. A boy or a girl."

"Or both."

Rogue slapped him playfully on the arm. "Don't jinx me!"

Logan laughed. He took Rogue in his arms and gave her a long kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Logan sprawled himself out on the bed and Rogue snuggled up next to him.

"What are you thinking about?" Rogue asked.

"Right now?" Rogue nodded. "I don't know. There's a lot of thoughts in there right now."

"Are you happy?"

Logan looked at Rogue. "Are you kidding me? Of course I am." He pulled her closer. "We're gonna have a baby."

"No, I'm gonna have a baby."

"OK, you're gonna have a baby. I'm gonna to run out in the middle of the night when you get weird cravings, take the abuse when you have mood swings and let you crush my hand in the delivery room."

Rogue giggled. "It's not gonna be that bad."

"You're right, it won't be. 'Cause in the end, we'll have a baby."

Rogue smiled at him and he smiled back.


	23. Part 22

**I'm sorry this took so long to update. I've just found some time to update, so I hope you enjoy. Sorry if it's a little short. More will be coming soon.**

"Suck it in, Rogue," Kitty said.

"I _am_ sucking it in!" Rogue snapped at her.

Kitty tugged at the zipper on Rogue's dress. She pulled the separated fabric together and tried the zipper again. Finally, she gave up.

"It's no use," Kitty said. "If we keep trying, we're gonna rip the dress."

Rogue sighed. "I don't wanna wear the maternity clothes. I love the clothes that I have."

"Yeah, but they don't fit. Face it; you're not so little around the middle. You're gaining baby weight."

"I hate this." Rogue started to pull the dress off. "I wanna wear my regular clothes. I don't like gaining weight."

"Rogue," Kitty said. "You're supposed to gain weight. You're pregnant! And you've gotten away with wearing your regular clothes for the last few months."

"Yeah, but those were my winter clothes. They've always been big on me. Now that the weather is getting nicer, I wanna wear my spring clothes."

Kitty picked up the parenting book from Rogue's nightstand. "You know what the book says."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Two to four pounds in the first three months, then a pound per week up to delivery date."

"Or a pound and a half per week for twins."

Rogue gave her an evil glare. "Don't jinx me."

"Look," Kitty said. "A lot of women worry about weight gain during pregnancy, but most of it is the baby. All in all, there should be a total weight gain of twenty-five to thirty-five pounds."

Rogue opened her dresser drawer. She picked out a maternity outfit that she had bought a few weeks ago and put it on. Then she stood in front of her mirror.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked Kitty.

"You look cute," Kitty replied.

"I look like I swallowed a beach ball."

"Oh, please! You're not that big yet."

Rogue looked at her watch. "Where is that husband of mine? We're going to be late for our appointment."

Just then, they heard a loud crash outside. Screaming followed. Just then Logan burst into the room. He slammed the door shut and moved the bookshelf in front of it.

"Logan, what's going on?" Rogue asked in a panic.

"We've got to get out of here, now," Logan said in a stern voice.

"Why? What's wrong?" Kitty asked.

"Magneto's rebuilt his army. They're invading the school." He took Rogue's hand. "I'm not going to let them hurt you or the baby."

Rogue looked at his hand-his left hand- and then looked back up at him. She gave him an icy cold stare. "You almost got away with it."

She grabbed Logan's wrist and let her powers take over. Logan screamed.

"Rogue, what the fuck are you doing?!" Kitty yelled. "Stop it!"

Rogue held on to him. When she finally let go, the person who sank to the floor in convulsions was a woman with orange hair and blue scales all over her body.

Kitty looked at Rogue. "Holy shit."

Then the door was broken down and Logan barreled into the room. His clothes were slightly tattered and his wounds were almost completely healed. Rogue rushed over to him and they held each other tightly.

"It was Mystique," Logan said.

"I know," Rogue said. "I took care of her."

"How did you know it wasn't me?"

Rogue smiled at him. "She forgot the wedding ring."

"What was she doing here?" Kitty asked. "Is it true? Is the school under attack? Is Magneto back?"

"The school is not under attack. She tried to get in her, passing herself off as me. Look, we've got to get her out of here before she comes to."

Rogue stood motionless for a moment. Logan looked at her curiously.

"Babe, what's the matter?" he asked.

Rogue looked horrified. She turned to Logan. "My powers came back," she said. "So will all the mutants that have been cured. Magneto's going to come after us. He's coming after me."

"Why is he going to come after you?" Kitty asked.

Rogue just looked down and sprawled a hand across her tummy.

Logan contacted Hank McCoy and not ten minutes later, government agents were at the school. They took Mystique into custody. Seeing as how Rogue had all of Mystique's memories in her, they got as much information as they could from her. Once everything had settled down, Kitty gave Rogue a checkup to make sure that using her powers didn't affect the baby. Everything checked out normal. As a precaution, Storm put the school on a lock-down and set a curfew for the students.

That night, Rogue and Logan lay awake in bed.

"Logan."

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

Logan turned to look at her. "You need to calm down. Remember what the book said, that extreme stress can bring on labor."

"I know, but…"

"Rogue, you know you are surrounded by people who are going to look out for you. Nothing is going to happen."

Rogue gave him a small smile. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Well, when Kitty did the check up on me, she found something."

"What?"

"You guys jinxed me."

Logan laughed. "Are you serious?"

Rogue nodded. Logan took her in his arms and held her close as they fell asleep.

A desk lamp flew across the room in the abandoned warehouse.

"How could we let this happen?!" the old man yelled. "This plan was fool proof! Get in, get out! It was that simple! We've been planning this for years!"

Just then the girl and the boy from the van came into the room. The old man turned on them.

"Unless you have some good news, I suggest you turn around and walk right back out that door."

The girl smiled mischievously. "Oh, it is very good."

The old man crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm listening."

"She's having more than one. They will be mutants. I can pick up on their powers. I know it for a fact."

A smile crept on to the old man's wrinkled face. "That is very good news."

"Where do we go from here?" the boy asked.

The old man turned to him. "We take on the school. Our following will be reassembled. They've been waiting for me to call them forth. Now is the time. We will rally them all and attack the school."

"How do we get Miss Preggers out of the school without anyone stopping us?"

The old man turned back to the girl. "Me?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. He placed a wrinkly hand under her chin. "You've been given the gift of speed and agility. It is time to use them to do good for the future of mutant kind. You are ready for this. You've been training."

The girl nodded. A flash and a gust of wind, the girl ran out of the room and returned with a glass of water. The old man took it from her.

"What about me?" the boy asked.

The old man turned to him. "A diversion, my dear boy. The students will not leave the school unless there is an emergency. So, you will create one for them."

The boy smiled devilishly. He snapped his fingers. A lighter attached to his wrist, hidden by his long sleeves, sparked a flame. He held the fireball in the palm of his hand.

"I've been waiting a long time to torch that fucking school."

"In time, my boy," the old man said. "All in good time."

The boy clenched his fist smothering the flame.

"Come," the old man said. "We must act quickly."


	24. Part 23

**Sorry this chapter is so short. I'm setting up for bigger things to come. More chapters coming soon, promise. Enjoy! I don't own X-Men.**

**A few months have past since the school break-in…**

"OK," Rogue said, standing in front of her English class. "Volunteers for the next passage?"

Several hands went up. Rogue considered whom to choose. Most of them were the usual students that volunteered. But then she noticed that the hand of a fairly new student went up. Rogue pointed to him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "What is your name again?"

"Livewire," the boy replied in a soft-spoken Australian accent.

Storm had given Rogue a brief rundown of this student a few days ago. He had the ability to shoot electrical currents from his fingertips.

"Livewire," Rogue repeated. "The next passage, please."

The student picked up his book and cleared his throat. Just as he was about to start reading, a loud siren started to go off throughout the mansion.

"OK!" Rogue shouted over the noise. "Y'all know what to do! Everybody stay together! Let's go!"

The students got up from their desks, grabbing only their backpacks. They made their way through the hall and to one of the secret passages. The wall slid away and they all followed the twisting tunnels until they came to the "Safe Place". It was kind of like a panic room deep beneath the school grounds. There, they met up with all the other students and staff. Each of them slid an ID card through the scanner before entering the room. When the last of the students arrived, the door slid shut and a robotic voice said, "All are present and accounted for."

Storm clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Thank you, all," she said. "We did that quickly and neatly. Much better than the last time. Once you are released, you will go back to your classes and your professors will dismiss you from there."

X

"This is ridiculous," Logan said angrily, pacing the floor of the common room with his arms folded across his chest.

"We're doing what we can," Storm said as she watched him walk back and forth.

Logan stopped and turned to her. "What are we doing right now, Storm? Nothing. We're all sitting on our asses."

"Logan." Storm got up from her seat. "There is nothing we can do. The resources we have now are very limited. We just have to wait. Prepare ourselves."

"Emergency drills once a week? We're preparing them to run and hide."

"The Safe Place is so we can all group together and make sure no one gets lost amidst the chaos during a school invasion. The danger room sessions are preparing them to fight."

"We should be fighting! We know that Magneto's behind this, we know what he's planning. We should be going after him."

"Logan, you can't beat the shit out of everyone that hurts Rogue."

"I have a responsibility to protect her. And every time something bad happens to her, I feel like I've failed."

"You shouldn't feel that way. Rogue has been able to protect herself."

Logan plopped himself down on the couch. "Her life is not the only concern. The lives of our unborn children are at risk."

"Yes, and Magneto's going to knock down everyone who gets in between him and Rogue. The life of every person in this school is in jeopardy."

Logan sighed heavily. "I hate this," he said. "This hurry-up-and-wait thing we're doing."

"It's not going to be too much longer now," Storm said.

"Um, excuse me."

They both turned to see Kitty come into the room.

"Yes?" Storm asked.

"Logan, I need to talk to you," Kitty said. "It's about Rogue."

"Is she OK?" Logan asked as he got up from his seat.

"She's fine," Kitty said. "But I need to discuss something with you."

Logan followed Kitty into the hallway.

"What's wrong?" Logan asked.

"Rogue's been experiencing some contractions," Kitty said.

"What? It's too soon."

"I know. Listen, it's really nothing to worry about. This happens a lot with multiple births. It really is too soon for her to deliver, so I want her to go on bed rest. It'll give the babies' lungs more time to develop. Rogue is at thirty-six and a half weeks now. If she can get a few more days in, then the babies will be out of the danger zone."

"What'll happen if she goes into labor before then?"

"The babies' lungs won't be fully developed. They'll have to be put on ventilators, and maybe feeding tubes."

"Anything else I should know about?"

"Well, one of the babies is breached. More than likely, she'll need to have a C-section."

Logan sighed. "Damn. OK, I'm gonna go talk to her."

"What should we do about her classes?"

Logan thought for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe we can have the class meet upstairs in her room?"

"That's a possibility."

"Talk it over with Storm. See what she thinks."

"What about the baby shower?"

Logan looked at his watch. "Her parents are probably boarding their plane as we speak. Can't cancel it now."

Kitty nodded. Logan turned and headed upstairs. He went into his bedroom and found Rogue lying in bed.

"Hey," she said with a smile.

"Hey, yourself," Logan said. He walked over and sat down beside her on the bed. "How you feeling?"

"All right. It sucks that I'm gonna be on bed rest."

"It's for the best."

"I suppose. It's just…" Rogue's voice trailed off.

"What?" Logan asked.

"I feel that having to lay in bed all day, I'm more vulnerable."

"Babe, you know that you have got every person in this mansion on your side. None of us are going to let anything happen to you or the babies."

Rogue nodded. "So, did Kitty tell you everything?"

"Well, she did tell me that you'll probably need a C-section."

"Yeah, told me the same thing."

"You're gonna be fine."

"What about you? Are you gonna be all right?"

Logan chuckled. "Darling, I'm scared outta my mind. Everything little thing makes me jumpy."

Rogue smiled. "It won't be long now," she said as she rubbed her tummy.

Logan placed a hand on her belly. A few seconds later, he pulled his hand away quickly.

"You felt it, didn't you?" Rogue asked. "You felt a kick."

"Yeah," Logan said, regarding Rogue's baby bump with a curious expression. "I've never felt them move like that before."

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?"

Logan looked up at Rogue and smiled. "That it is."


	25. Part 24

**I took some liberties with the characters.**

"Logan!" Rogue called out from her bedroom.

Logan appeared in the doorway mere seconds later. "I'm here," he said. "What do you need?"

Rogue held up her cup. "I need a refill."

"Chocolate milk?" he asked as he walked over to the bed.

Rogue nodded. "Leave the straw."

"Alright. I'll be right back."

"Thank you, baby."

Logan took the cup from her and kissed her forehead. Then he went downstairs to the kitchen. He found Storm there, just getting off of the phone.

"How's Rogue?" Storm asked.

"She's doing fine," Logan replied and he started to fix Rogue's drink. "A little stir-crazy, though. Her students like meeting in her room. They're a lot more chill.

"And the babies?"

"Kitty thinks Rogue can hold out until Sunday morning. She'll do the C-section then and we should be cuddling newborns by lunchtime."

Storm smiled. "That's good to hear. Listen, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's going on?"

"Well, I've been thinking that we might be needing some backup. You know, just in case. So, I made a few calls to some former students."

"And they're going to be coming to the mansion?"

"Yeah, they are."

Logan nodded. "Good. If Magneto and his gang are still planning an attack, we'll need all the help we can get."

"Even from Bobby Drake?"

Logan froze. The name still struck a nerve with him.

"Logan," Storm said. "I called him yesterday. He just got here this morning. I swear he must have gotten on the first thing moving out of California."

Logan turned to face Storm. "He didn't care about Rogue before, why would he start now?"

"There are things you don't know about Bobby Drake. And like it or not, Logan, he is still part of the X-men. We all band together to protect each other. No matter what."

Logan sighed. "I'll make the attempt, OK? But I'm not making any promises."

"That's all I ask of you."

"Well, I've got a pregnant woman upstairs. If I don't get back up there soon, I'm gonna get bitched at."

Storm laughed. Logan took the drink and headed back upstairs.

X

**Meanwhile…**

Rogue continued with grading her students' papers. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"It's open," she called out, not looking up from her work.

The door creaked open.

"Hi, Rogue."

That familiar voice made her freeze up. She looked up to see Bobby Drake standing in her doorway.

"Hi, Bobby," she said.

"Um, do you mind if I come in?"

"No. Come on in."

Bobby came into the room and sat down in a chair by her bed.

"So, how have you been?" he asked.

Rogue shrugged. "OK. I've been teaching English and getting myself ready to be a mommy." Bobby nodded. "What have you been up to?"

"Moved to L.A. I'm going to law school out there and I'm working with a small law firm."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They specialize in mutant discrimination cases."

"Oh, that's awesome."

"Yeah." They were silent for a moment. "Rogue, I have something I want to tell you."

"Um, OK."

"I know it probably doesn't mean as much now as it would've then, but I am sorry for the way I treated you."

"It's OK."

"No, it's not. I want you to know that there were reasons for my actions. I was a bit messed up back then."

"Messed up how?"

"In my head." Bobby took a deep breath. "Well, let's just say that since we broke up, I haven't been with any other women."

"Oh?" Rogue asked, and then it clicked. Her eyes widened. "Oh! Oh, I see now."

"Yeah." Bobby looked away.

"And…you have it all figured out now?"

Bobby shrugged. "For the most part."

Another small silence passed between them.

"Are you happy?" Rogue asked. "I mean, now that you have it figured out?"

Bobby turned to look at her again. "You know what? I am. I really do think that…"

Rogue's eyes suddenly clenched shut and her hand went to her stomach.

"Rogue?" Bobby asked, panicked. "What is it? Do you need Logan?"

Rogue shook her head. "I just had a foot in my ribs." She opened her eyes. "The babies are moving around right now."

"Oh," Bobby said and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, would you mind if I, um…"

"You want to feel my belly?"

"Um, yeah."

"Sure, go ahead."

Rogue didn't mind people touching her belly, just as long as they asked her first. Bobby scooted himself forward in his chair and put his hands on Rogue's belly. He looked up at Rogue and gave her a small smile.

"Ahem."

When he heard the voice, Bobby's hands immediately withdrew from Rogue's belly and he quickly stood up. Logan was standing just outside the room with Rogue's drink in his hand.

Logan gave Bobby a nod. "Drake."

Bobby returned the gesture and the greeting. "Logan."

Rogue looked back and forth between the two. Logan was wearing a blank expression, but Rogue knew that he was angered by Bobby's presence. Bobby's cheeks were turning red and he actually looked scared, like a child who had just been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Logan came into the room and handed Rogue her drink. Bobby never took his eyes off of him as he did. As Rogue started to sip her drink, Logan turned to Bobby.

"Can I talk to you in the hall for a minute?" he asked.

Bobby nodded. "OK."

Bobby headed for the door. Logan began to follow him, but Rogue grabbed his wrist.

"Be nice," she warned.

Logan gave her a little nod. "I will be."

Rogue released him from her grip, and Logan met up with Bobby in the hallway. The two stared at each other for a long moment.

"Thank you," Logan said finally.

Bobby blinked. "For what?"

"For being here when we need you the most. For helping us protect Rogue and the babies."

"You're welcome." Bobby paused. "Logan, just because I messed up and we're not together anymore, it doesn't mean that I've stopped caring about her. I just changed the way that I care about her."

Logan nodded. "I think I understand that."

"Well, we can't be battling each other when we need to be battling the bad guys. How about we call it a truce?"

Bobby extended his hand.

"Truce," Logan said and he shook Bobby's hand.


	26. Part 25

Bobby had settled into his bed for the night and was about to fall asleep when his cell phone started to ring. He grabbed the phone from the nightstand and saw that he had a new text message.

Meet me in the

courtyard.

Bobby's fingers flew across the phone's keyboard as he typed in his reply.

Be right there.

He got up and opened his bedroom door. He checked the hallway. When he saw that it was all clear, he went down to the ground floor and walked out into the courtyard.

"Where are you?" Bobby whispered.

"Over here," was the reply.

Bobby walked over to a dark area of the grounds. A hand reached out and grabbed his. The hand belonged to a young man dressed all in black.

"I missed you," he whispered. "Ice Man."

"I missed you, too," Bobby whispered back. "Pyro."

The two smiled at each other and they started kissing each other. Bobby's lips went to Pyro's neck. Pyro tried to push to him away.

"Hey, hey," Pyro said. "No hickies."

Bobby pulled away. "I can't help it."

"Well, you'd better keep your lips away from my neck."

"I can handle that. There are a lot of other places I'd like to put my lips."

"You know, for a guy nicknamed Ice Man, you are so freaking hot."

The two kissed each other again. Suddenly, they heard the click of metal. The two pulled away from each other and turned to see Logan standing a few feet away.

"I trusted you, Bobby Drake," he said. "And you're fraternizing with our enemy?"

Bobby took a step towards Logan, his hands raised defensively.

"He's on our side," Bobby said. "He's been working as a double spy for us."

"I don't believe you," Logan said. "If you are spying for us, how did Mystique get into the mansion?"

"That was a surprise attack," Pyro said. "I didn't know she was going to do that. When I found out, it was too late."

"Logan," Bobby said. "He's telling the truth."

Logan looked at Pyro suspiciously. "Prove it."

"You took Rogue country line dancing for her birthday. You bought her pair of boots, and you taught yourself how to do the dances. She got scared because she thought she was being followed and you two left."

Logan withdrew his claws. "You are telling the truth."

"Yes," Pyro said.

"So, what are you doing here now?"

"Wouldn't you like to know when Magneto's going to attack?"

Logan nodded. "I think we need to wake Storm up."

X

Moments later, they met up in Logan's room. They woke Rogue and Storm up to join their meeting.

"I guess opposites really do attract," Rogue said with a smile.

"Yeah," Bobby said, returning the smile. "Fire and ice."

"Alright," Storm said. "What do you know, John?"

"Magneto has people on his side," Pyro said. "Some tracked him down after the cure wore off of them. Others, he went out and recruited."

"What kind of numbers are we looking at?" Logan asked.

"About thirty people."

"We have twice the forces he does. He's outnumbered."

"Maybe so, but he thinks he can still carry out his plans. He has Juggernaut."

"And he have Colossus," Rogue said. "They're evenly matched."

"So, what is Magneto's plan, exactly?" Logan asked.

"The plan was to send me in to start fires around the mansion," Pyro explained. "Then, while everyone is running around panicking, Callisto is going to come in and pull Rogue and Kitty out of the building. She moves so fast, no one will be able to catch her."

"Why does he want Kitty?" Rogue asked.

"He wants the babies. He wants them alive and healthy."

"And he needs Kitty to ensure that that happens."

"Exactly. And after the babies are born, Rogue and Kitty are…" Pyro's voice trailed off.

"He's gonna kill them," Logan said.

"Yeah. It's going down on Saturday morning."

"We were going to do the C-section on Sunday," Rogue said.

"Is there anything else we need to know?" Logan asked.

"That's all I know," Pyro said.

"This is what we've been preparing for," Storm said. "I know we can handle this. John, thank you for everything. You've been a tremendous help."

"And don't worry," Pyro said. "When the time comes, everyone will find out whose side I'm really on."

He and Storm shook hands.

"Come on," Bobby said to Pyro. "I'll walk you out."

Bobby took Pyro's hand and they walked out of the room. Once they were gone, Logan turned to Storm and Rogue.

"Is anyone else just a _little_ freaked out by those two?" he asked.

"No," Rogue said. "I think they're cute."

"Well, I'm going back to bed," Storm said. "We'll get everyone together tomorrow and come up with a defense."

"Goodnight," Rogue said.

Storm turned and left the room. Logan sat down on the bed.

"How you feeling?" he asked.

"Better," Rogue replied. "Relieved. We now know what is coming up."

"Everything is gonna be fine."

"I know it will."

Logan took her hand in his and kissed her.


	27. Part 26

Callisto walked down the hallway and knocked on Pyro's door.

"Are you decent?" she asked.

"Yeah, come on in," Pyro replied.

Callisto opened the door and walked into the room. Pyro was sitting on his bed, wearing a pair of jeans. His hair was still wet from his shower.

"What's going on?" Pyro asked, as he slipped his lighters onto his wrists.

"Magneto wants to see us," Callisto said. "To discuss some last minute things."

"OK, just let me…"

"What is that?"

Pyro looked at her curiously. "What?"

Callisto grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the mirror. "That thing on your neck."

Pyro looked into the mirror and saw that he had a dark purple mark the size of a golf ball on his neck.

_Damn you, Bobby, _Pyro thought. "Oh," he said aloud. "I accidentally burned myself with my lighter."

It was the best he could come up with in this tight spot. It was incredible cliché, and he knew that Callisto wasn't going to buy it.

"Bullshit!" she said with a wicked smile. "That is a hickie on your neck!" She turned Pyro around to face her. "Who gave it to you?"

"That is none of your business!"

Callisto eyed him suspiciously. "Why are you getting all defensive?"

"Because it's my personal business."

"Pyro, no one cares about your gender preference. Why can't you just tell me?"

"Just leave it alone, Callisto."

Callisto held her hands up defensively. "Fine. Don't get your panties in a twist."

Pyro pulled on a shirt. "Come on. Magneto's waiting."

"After you."

Pyro walked out of the room, with Callisto following him down the hall. They went into a large room, where the rest of their team was assembled. Magneto stood at the head of the group.

"My friends," Magneto said. "We have a newcomer to welcome to our brotherhood. This couldn't come at a better time, as we are preparing to launch our attack on the X-men, and with our success, we shall take over the future of mutant-kind. So, without further delay, I would like to introduce you to Psyche."

A girl with short, dirty blonde hair emerged from the crowd and stood next to Magneto.

"Psyche would like to say a few words to her new family," Magneto said.

Magneto stepped aside and let Psyche have the floor.

"Thank you, Magneto," she said. "Fellow members of the brotherhood, I just wanted to tell you all a little bit about myself. I discovered my powers at the age of eleven when I caught my father having an affair with my Girl Scout leader. It was then that I ran away from home, taking shelter with a group of nomadic mutants. I have given myself the name Psyche due to my powers. I am a telepath, meaning that I am able to read minds. As a matter of fact, I have read a few of the minds in this room, and I have come to the conclusion that there is a traitor among us."

_Oh, shit _Pyro thought.

"Oh, yes," Psyche said. "And don't even think about running. I have already informed everyone here of your actions while you were showering."

Pyro's arms raised into the air. His wrist lighters flew across the room and into Magneto's outstretched hands.

"What a shame," Magneto said. "My protégé has betrayed me."

Juggernaut grabbed Pyro and threw him up against the wall. The exposed pipes curled around Pyro's wrists, ankles and waist.

"You could have part of the greatest mutant team in the world," Magneto said.

"The X-men are the greatest mutant team in the world," Pyro said.

Juggernaut smacked him across the face, knocking him unconscious. Magneto turned to the rest of the group.

"Everybody return to your rooms and get some sleep," he said. "We attack the mansion at dawn."

The crowd dispersed. Magneto turned to look at the motionless Pyro.

"That's right," he said. "Sleep and dream of your little Ice Man. Tomorrow, he will be a puddle on the floor."


End file.
